You
shall not covet your neighbor’s house or his manservant or maidservant, his ox
or donkey , or anything that belongs to your neighbor. – Exodus 20:17
Recently my husband
and I decided it was time for our youngest to begin participating in some sort
of sport. My husband’s choice was martial arts. I had found an advertisement for
a nearby school and wanted him to check it out with David just to get a feel
for the school and to see if it would work for us. As they were leaving our
daughter started crying because she wanted to go too – the answer was “no this
is for your brother you don’t need to go” and then the tantrum began.
After quite a bit of screaming and crying she calmed down
enough for me to talk with her. I explained that she had her gymnastics and
this was going to be David’s thing. As the eldest she did more than him and we
needed to give him something of his very own. None of my logic or reasoning
seemed to be getting through to her so I left her lying on her bed, still sniffley.
A short time later Helen emerged from her room and said
something that shocked me, “Mommy, I’m sorry for throwing a fit, but I was
attacked by the Green Eyed Monster. I really want David to do karate, but I
wanted it too – I was jealous of him. Please forgive me.”
Wow, talk about words of wisdom coming from an 11 year old.
How many of us realize our bad attitudes and temper actually come from our own
jealousy? How many of us can recognize an attack of the Green Eyed Monster? God
wants us to be content with what we have, not what we don’t have. There is
nothing wrong with wanting things, but when they become the focus of our lives
we lose focus on God. When we begin to want what other people have we start
looking for ways to get them and we very easily begin to slide down a very
slippery slope.
Dear Lord,
Today I’m thankful for all that you provide for me. I’m
thankful that with You I have the power to fight the Green Eyed Monster and
that with You I can conquer my jealous nature. Please help me focus on You and
on the gifts You have given me. In Your Son’s name I pray,
AMEN
Take a moment today to ask God to show you where in your
life you’ve been attacked by the Green Eyed Monster. Do you want something that
belongs to someone else? Remember that the grass always looks greener on the
other side of the fence, but if you water your own grass it could be even
better. Who knows how many weeds, stickers and rocks lie buried beneath the surface?
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