I’ve recently started a section in my prayer journal entitled “On Being Human and How to Live a Life Closer to God”. I decided to start this section upon realizing that reflecting on our downfalls is key to enhancing our relationships with God.
Sometimes I let my human vices and failures get in the way of my relationship with God. I feel them distance me from Him, and instead of talking to Him about it, I reckon that I am already “too far” from Him.
But our relationship with God doesn’t exist in spite of our vices, but because of our vices and the work we can choose to put into disabling them. God purposefully made humans distinguishable from angels in that we are NOT perfect. He loves us with our vices but calls us to make choices that minimize those vices in pursuit of a life that mimics that of the Prophets.
But our relationship with God doesn't exist in spite of our vices, but because of our vices and the work we can choose to put into disabling them.
Jealousy
[X] was (and is) a great person. [X] did not harm me in any way, talk bad about me, or offend me, but yet I harbored negative feelings for [X] for reasons I couldn’t quite put my finger on.
I had no legitimate reason to dislike [X], despite my efforts to find one.
A few weeks ago, I had a sudden realization that my reason for not liking [X] was solely based on my jealousy felt towards them. I made up these reasons I didn’t want to be close friends with them or hang around them much, trying to convince myself that there was a problem with her, not me.
I event went so far as to try to justify my feelings of resentment towards this person by seeking validation from my friends.
Jealousy is a natural human feeling. It is woven into more interactions than we think- whether it’s about a classmate, an employer, a family member, whatever.
Jealousy can be such a pernicious feeling, how can we recognize, address, and stop it?
The Function of Jealousy
I was jealous of [X’s] privilege. How [X] didn’t struggle with the things I did… how [X] seemingly didn’t have to question her beauty or think twice before buying something.
….. but what did my jealousy do?
It didn’t make any of that stuff go away. It didn’t give me the things they had that I thought would make me pretty- long straight hair, white skin, tons of money. It certainly didn’t make me feel good about myself.
All it did was weigh me down with guilt and negativity.
This misplaced resentment towards [X] ended up hurting me, trapping me in a cycle of negativity and self doubt.
What God Says About Jealousy
When I eventually recognized these feelings as jealousy, of course I went straight to the source of life Himself to get some insight on how I could rid myself of this feeling.
I looked at Biblical and Qur’anic Text as well as some religious sites in order to glean inspiration. If you want to know why I read both the Bible and the Qur’an, learn more about my faith statement here!
Jealousy makes the bones ROT. Powerful word usage there, my friends. We’ve all heard the saying “comparison is the chief of joy”, and this takes it to a whole other level. Not only will envy take away your joy, but it will cause you to waste away. It will degrade you mentally, emotionally, and spiritually if you let it build up for too long.
This verse challenges us to look at what we are provided with instead of comparing it with what other people are provided with. When we look at our blessings, in all their abundance, we realize that God PROVIDES.
There are inequalities in this world. I’m not saying it is “fair” that one hard working person is struggling to pay rent while someone far less hard working is a millionaire. It’s not! But that is not what God inten
My Takeaways
1) No one else’s beauty takes away from your own.
2) God has dealt every human being a different set of cards in this life. Who am I to question whether or not it’s “fair”?
3) Jealousy is just as harmful to the one who possesses it is it is to the one who it is direct to.
4) Someone’s privilege, unless they blatantly fail to recognize it and/or fail to uplift others with said privilege, isn’t their fault. It’s their circumstances.
I truly hope this post reaches someone out there. If you are interested in me continuing to post about my “On Being Human and How to Live a Life Closer to God” journal section, please let me know! I would love to share my realizations and revelations through this section of my prayer journal.
