I'm Happy For You.....But....

Have you ever had a time when you were really, truly happy for someone but you were also so insanely jealous you just had a hard time expressing your happiness along with them? It could be over the purchase of a home (better than yours), a car (newer than yours), a vacation (somewhere you always wanted to go), and the list goes on an on.

That's where I am. I have a friend that I am really happy for and I so desperately want to share in her happiness but when I do, I just get jealous, depressed, and seriously covet what she now has. It's making me crazy, uh, er, crazier!

I don't think this is just a "Julie battle" -- perhaps some struggle with this more than others but I think to a certain degree we all have that little green monster in us called envy. The thing about envy is that it steals our joy, robs us of contentment, and creates in us a cavernous hole that will never be filled. There is always something else to want.

As you might expect, scripture has a lot to say about envy; man does it ever! Here are just a few examples.

Proverbs 14:30 A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones.

1 Corinthians 13:4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. (yipes! I better examine my love factor toward my friend)

Galatians 5:19 The acts of the sinful nature are obvious......(v20) jealousy (v21) envy...

James 3:16 For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.

1Peter 2:1 Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind.

Now, I could be wrong here, but after reading those, I think I can safely conclude I should rid myself of all envy. Agreed? I thought so.