The Green-Eyed Monster

I mean envy, jealousy, feelings of bitterness over something someone else has or does. Being a writer, I fight with this little beast regularly, as in:

“Oh, you just got your book of vampire erotica published? Good for you!”

Followed by a sotto voce, “You miserable, talentless hack!”

And I hate myself for it.

As if that were not bad enough, along with being a writer—perhaps because of it—I’m also a deadbeat, which means I listen to a lot of sports radio throughout a typical day. The only upside to this habit is that it gives me plenty of opportunity to peer beneath the nasty under-beerbelly of the human condition.

Well lemme tell you: ’round these parts, there’s been an explosion of green-eyed monsterism on display lately.

In a city with not one, but two professional baseball teams, who between them have only managed to field one winner in the last ten years, people tend to tune out the baseball playoffs to concentrate on da Bearsss when autumn rolls around. That is, except when the St. Louis Cardinals are still playing. Then they can’t contain the torrents of vicious, hate-filled bile directed toward that city and its fans.

Now, I’ve got a pretty strong stomach, but even I have turned the radio off a few times because of it.

And that, finally, brings me to my point: What harm does it do you when someone else succeeds in some way, or acquires something you’ve always wanted? The answer of course is none.

You are the same person you were moments before you learned of their good fortune. If you look closely, you didn’t change in any way because of it. So why not take joy in their success? Doesn’t that feel better than nursing that leaden knot of angst in the pit of your stomach?

I believe that there are springs in our soul from which feelings of envy flow, and those springs find their source in ingratitude. Because we are not inherently grateful to God for the talents, treasure, circumstances, and the time He’s given us, we avariciously covet what others have or do. Drying up the springs of envy require cultivation of a grateful heart.

Now I admit, that is a difficult task, but the steps are easy to follow:

1) When you open your eyes in the morning, thank God that He’s given you life. He didn’t have to, He wanted to.

2) When anything happens, good or bad, thank God that in His providence, He’s allowed these circumstances to enter your life for your ultimate good.

3) When you lay your head on your pillow at night, thank God that He brought you through another day and that, with His mercy, you will do better tomorrow.

And Go Cards!