Jealousy...

For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly?...The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor. —1 Corinthians 3:3, 8

There are few people who have not been either the subject or the object of jealousy at some time in their lives. Someone has said that jealousy is the sin nobody talks about; I think it is the sin nobody admits to—at least, readily. We do not like admitting to being jealous because this exposes our insecurity and weakness; the last thing we want another person to know is that we are insecure. Yet the chances are, our jealousy is one malady everybody else can see but us, and although we cannot deny that there are also psychological implications, fundamentally, jealousy is sin.

We may define jealousy as an attitude of envy or resentment toward a more successful rival. Sometimes it results from frustrated attempts to achieve an ambition, and sometimes it results from seeing somebody who has more talent, greater social advantages, more money, better looks, or a better personality than we have. It may also arise when we see another succeeding where we have failed and we allow our resentment to grow into jealousy.

The reason it is easy to detect jealousy in others is they inevitably behave in a way that betrays their feelings. However, being the object of jealousy is also problematic. Most of us know what it is to have somebody jealous of us.

Yet what if another’s jealousy of you is real? How do you handle a situation like this? You need to identify the real enemy. Paul identified the real enemy: the devil. So if you are the target of unjust criticism aimed to hurt you by attacking your character or by diminishing your influence, know that Satan is behind it all. However, you should also realize that you are no different, and in similar circumstances the chances are that you would react in the same way.

Only God can deal with jealousy, and only God can forgive it. But the Bible says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins” (1 John 1:9).

Excerpted from A Vision of Jesus (Christian Focus Publications Ltd., 1999).

Wanting things that you cant have...its probably one of the harder things to go through...

not being able to have something makes you want it even more...

whether its something or even someone.

i think i get consumed with a lot of "what if" questions...and i cant seem to escape it all.

being the person that always wants to be there for everyone..always wanting to be the one to mend the broken hearts and pick up their pieces..always wanting to be the one to catch all my friends when they fall...ive actually turned into someone completely opposite. many might accuse me of being "all talk" or just someone who can easily throw around the phrases, "dont worry, ill be there"..."you know im always here for you"..."i got your back"...

its not that i dont want to be...by all means, each and every single person in my life is so significant to me in one way or another. its just that i feel like i try too hard to keep my word with everyone and everything, and end up getting tired. i guess i always fear losing people in my life, and try to find a way to hold onto them---but sometimes this backfires through broken promises, false foundations, jealousy, accusations and assumptions...and this all makes me or that other person completely shattered and exhausted in the end.

people dont tend to remember what you say to them...what you gave them...what you showed them...but they remember how you made them feel. and i pray to God that i stop hurting those around me, and i pray to God that i learn how to love in a way that its not superficial...i pray that ill be able to be there for every single person individually, and truly show how much they mean to me---whether ive known them for years, weeks, days...God has clearly placed you in my life for a reason, and im not going to let you just pass me by without letting you know that you are a blessing.