http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Corinthians+12:22-24&version=NIV
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah%2045:9&version=NIV
If there is such a thing as Blessing Guilt (see yesterday's post) there must surely be such a thing as Blessing Envy. Blessing Envy is when we are dissatisfied with the blessings that God has richly bestowed on us. When we are envious of the blessings of others. Now if we were all alone in the world, we probably wouldn’t have Blessing Envy. But since there are others around us (people we know personally or from afar) we are very susceptible to it. Unfortunately.
Probably all of us knows of someone for whom almost everything seems to be either handed to them or comes easy. The former kind were born with all kinds of blessings. Blessings that they did not necessarily earn or deserve. Born into a wealthy family. Or a loving family. A Christian family. Born with good health. Or good looks. Or a great personality. Or all kinds of talent. The fact is that these individuals were never on a level playing field with the rest of us. They started off with tremendous blessings and went up from there.
The latter may not have been born with all of the blessings and advantages of the former but somewhere along the way they became the recipients of tremendous blessings just the same. The spindly, skinny boy grew into a good-looking, athletic football player. Or the shy, socially-awkward girl grew into a beautiful actress. Or singer. The child who grew up in poverty later became a wealthy businessman.
The similarity between these two groups is that they both have it made. Either given to them or it finds its way to them. The end result is the same. Chances are that if you have a couple siblings you know what I mean. One of them most likely lives a charmed life. They have it all. Brains. Looks. Talent. Mom and Dad’s attention. You, however, got the left-overs. And you were envious. You would gladly have changed places with them in a heartbeat.
Now, in some cases, the people who seemingly get all the blessings are deserving of them. They are nice. Caring. Considerate. Humble. Class acts. However, there are many others who are the recipients of great blessing who don’t deserve any of them. They are mean. Nasty. Conniving. Arrogant. Incredibly selfish. In either case we are left wondering, ‘Why them’? And ‘Why not me’? Valid questions to be sure.
Well just as was the case with Blessing Guilt the answer lies in the Sovereignty of God. While some of God’s blessings are, indeed, dependent upon following His commands, others are not. These blessings are given simply by divine choice. One person receives them. Sometimes a lot of them. And another person doesn’t. It’s that simple. What isn’t simple is what to do with Blessing Envy.
As we know any kind of envy is sin. As such, it needs to be repented of. Envy impairs our relationship with God. And many times it harms our relationship with those we are envious of. The key to dealing with Blessing Envy is in our own attitude. What we need to do is to learn to thank God for the blessings of others. That’s right, thank God for them! ‘Lord, I’m glad that you blessed my neighbor with a brand new vehicle’ or ‘Lord, I am glad that my older brother is such a talented musician’. By doing this, we affirm that God knows what He’s doing. I would say that’s pretty important, wouldn’t you? Then we need to be thankful for the blessings that we do have. Sure, they aren’t as many as the person we are envious of. But the reality is that they are a lot more than some other people we know.
So as we approach Thanksgiving let’s endeavor to be thankful for what we have, and not focus on what we don’t have or on what others have. After all, if we have eternal life, and our basic needs are being met, isn’t this enough? Isn’t Heaven in our future? A time of unparalleled blessing? Yes it is. And when we finally arrive there Blessing Envy will be a thing of the past. We will all be thankful for the blessings that we’ve received. And we’ll be just as thankful for the blessings that others have received. Once again, all those crowns and rewards that we will have received are simply going to go to Jesus anyway. He alone deserves them!
Lord, I admit that there are times when I can’t help but notice how many blessings some people have. In some cases they don’t even seem to deserve them. But they are enjoying them anyway. Help me to keep my eyes on You. To be truly thankful for the blessings that You have given me. To understand that I have a choice about whether or not I am going to be envious of the blessings of others. Help me choose to be content. And thankful. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Probably all of us knows of someone for whom almost everything seems to be either handed to them or comes easy. The former kind were born with all kinds of blessings. Blessings that they did not necessarily earn or deserve. Born into a wealthy family. Or a loving family. A Christian family. Born with good health. Or good looks. Or a great personality. Or all kinds of talent. The fact is that these individuals were never on a level playing field with the rest of us. They started off with tremendous blessings and went up from there.
The latter may not have been born with all of the blessings and advantages of the former but somewhere along the way they became the recipients of tremendous blessings just the same. The spindly, skinny boy grew into a good-looking, athletic football player. Or the shy, socially-awkward girl grew into a beautiful actress. Or singer. The child who grew up in poverty later became a wealthy businessman.
The similarity between these two groups is that they both have it made. Either given to them or it finds its way to them. The end result is the same. Chances are that if you have a couple siblings you know what I mean. One of them most likely lives a charmed life. They have it all. Brains. Looks. Talent. Mom and Dad’s attention. You, however, got the left-overs. And you were envious. You would gladly have changed places with them in a heartbeat.
Now, in some cases, the people who seemingly get all the blessings are deserving of them. They are nice. Caring. Considerate. Humble. Class acts. However, there are many others who are the recipients of great blessing who don’t deserve any of them. They are mean. Nasty. Conniving. Arrogant. Incredibly selfish. In either case we are left wondering, ‘Why them’? And ‘Why not me’? Valid questions to be sure.
Well just as was the case with Blessing Guilt the answer lies in the Sovereignty of God. While some of God’s blessings are, indeed, dependent upon following His commands, others are not. These blessings are given simply by divine choice. One person receives them. Sometimes a lot of them. And another person doesn’t. It’s that simple. What isn’t simple is what to do with Blessing Envy.
As we know any kind of envy is sin. As such, it needs to be repented of. Envy impairs our relationship with God. And many times it harms our relationship with those we are envious of. The key to dealing with Blessing Envy is in our own attitude. What we need to do is to learn to thank God for the blessings of others. That’s right, thank God for them! ‘Lord, I’m glad that you blessed my neighbor with a brand new vehicle’ or ‘Lord, I am glad that my older brother is such a talented musician’. By doing this, we affirm that God knows what He’s doing. I would say that’s pretty important, wouldn’t you? Then we need to be thankful for the blessings that we do have. Sure, they aren’t as many as the person we are envious of. But the reality is that they are a lot more than some other people we know.
So as we approach Thanksgiving let’s endeavor to be thankful for what we have, and not focus on what we don’t have or on what others have. After all, if we have eternal life, and our basic needs are being met, isn’t this enough? Isn’t Heaven in our future? A time of unparalleled blessing? Yes it is. And when we finally arrive there Blessing Envy will be a thing of the past. We will all be thankful for the blessings that we’ve received. And we’ll be just as thankful for the blessings that others have received. Once again, all those crowns and rewards that we will have received are simply going to go to Jesus anyway. He alone deserves them!
Lord, I admit that there are times when I can’t help but notice how many blessings some people have. In some cases they don’t even seem to deserve them. But they are enjoying them anyway. Help me to keep my eyes on You. To be truly thankful for the blessings that You have given me. To understand that I have a choice about whether or not I am going to be envious of the blessings of others. Help me choose to be content. And thankful. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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