She has everything. And posts it all. "Oh, gee . . . I'm a best-selling author. What a surprise! How did that happen?" Or "Junior is straight A's again for the fourth year at school. Please pray for him as they want to advance him a year and we're just not sure if that is fair to the other kids. Such a dilemma!"
Be honest: Wouldn't you be just a little bit happy if her fortunes reversed? We don't wish anything awful on her you know, I mean we're not E-V-I-L, but just something little say. Something that would level out her life advantages. Something in the public and embarrassing camp. For instance . . . imagine how sad it would be if she lost all her hair suddenly, or on one of her many luxury travels lost her passport so she would have to live out her life in a place where the mosquitos are as big as bananas. Admit it. You're smiling and thinking of someone particularly.
Yes, envy! And we don't have a problem with it in this day of social media, or what my husband calls In-Your-Face-Book, do we? Noooo . . . especially we Christian types.
I love this story. It's from my book A Well-Tended Soul.
"An old man showed up at the back door or a young couple. His eyes were glassy and his face glistened with silvery stubble. He clutched a basket of wilted vegetables he was selling. The young couple bought some out of pity.
On subsequent visits he learned his name was Mr. Roth and he lived in the shack down the street. He would shuffle in, wearing mismatched shoes, and pull out his vegetables and his harmonica. With glazed eyes he would puff out old gospel tunes and talk of heaven.
On one visit he exclaimed, "The Lord is so good! Today when I opened my front door there was a bag full of shoes and clothing on my front porch."
"Oh, Mr. Roth," the young couple said, "we're so happy for you."
"Yes, and something even better. Just this morning I met someone who could really use them."
A thankful heart has transforming power. Even if we are reduced to selling wilted vegetables and have lost everything, we can still feel rich.
Someone has said, "God has been so lavish in his gifts that you can lose some priceless ones, the equivalent of whole kingdoms, and still be indecently rich."
Even if we lose all our hair and our passports are stolen for life we are still rich. "And now let the poor say I am rich. let the weak say I am strong, because of what the Lord has done for us. Give Thanks!"
(Now through September I am making "A Well-Tended Soul" available for groups of five or more at a discount and giving away the FREE downloadable accompanying study guide. You can contact me through my website or message me on In-Your-Face-Book.)