Today’s Lesson: Jealousy
Bible Verse: Genesis 30:1 When Rachel saw that she was not bearing Jacob any children, she became jealous of her sister. So she said to Jacob, “Give me children, or I’ll die!”
Does it not sound crazy that Rachel was jealous of Leah? Between them two, Leah was the “unlucky” one. But crazy enough, There was one thing Rachel envied about Leah, Leah was able to bare children.
Jealousy is that feeling of anger or sadness when we desire what another person possesses. Rachel was beautiful, her husband worked 14 years to have her, and Jacob loved her. On the contrary, Leah was less attractive, she was married because her father decided she should be married before Rachel and she was not loved. Rachel, having so much going for her, couldn’t feel happy for her sister therefore allowed jealousy to make her forget all the good things she already has.
Jealousy is nothing new. Since the beginning of time we encounter acts of jealousy. Cain killed Abel because of envy. Jose’s brothers, led by jealousy, sold him as a slave. Jealousy made Korah’s sons rebel against Moses and Aaron. Jealousy is a common tool used by the enemy and if we don’t pay close attention, and put a stop to it, we will end up with bitterness in our hearts, a sense of dissatisfaction and we can even get to the point where we rebel against God.
Personally, I think jealousy robs us more than what we like to admit. In the very moment you feel envious, You can begin to lose track of the importance of things, for example Family. Let’s say something was given to your brother and you feel envious about it, you are basically taking a position of entitlement. You feel you deserve it too. With this being said, just off of a thought of envy, you have disconnected yourself from your brother.
I trust God fully and know that if God is not allowing me to have what I want, it is because of one of two reasons. One: It is not for me or two I’m not ready to receive it. When we feel entitled to something, we can become prideful. If God allows us to have everything we want, it won’t take long before we feel superior and feel that we don’t need Him.
Imagine that God has placed in you an amazing ministry, but you are in a period of preparation. Now imagine that your brother or sister, that just started going to church recently, is already running one. You have two ways to face this: You either feel happy for what God is doing in his/her life or you feel jealousy because you feel so much more prepared and are still waiting for your opportunity. Ministerial jealousy will slow you down in your spiritual journey and can lead you to never be able to lead a ministry effectively. A ministry given too early can be aborted by a lack of preparation.
There is another form of envy, and it is when you envy your sisters relationship. To all my single Leahs, I want you to know that I know exactly how that feels. I know how it feels to see all of your friends in relationships, engaged or even getting married. All of this happening around you while you are sitting and waiting for that moment to happen. Sometimes that feeling of jealousy can create a fake image of how “ successful “ that relationship is. Sometimes that relationship you admire because it’s so “perfect” , ends up being a mess behind the scenes and once you figure that out you end up feeling foolish for being envious of them. The man God has for you will be perfect for you only. It will be a perfect match.
We can become envious of material things. This is a very dangerous subject. 1 Timothy 6:10 says: For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. This is not saying that money is bad, the love of money is! A lot of people have money and stay humble. They do not use their social status to feel above the rest. If God blessed you in that form, glory to God for that. If you are not there, don’t be envious of your brother. If money will be the factor that will stray me away from God, I DON’T WANT IT! If you can’t find happiness with $20 in your pockets, You won’t find it with $20,000 either. Work hard but stay humble in the place God has you in today.
We are all going to experience envy at some point in our lives. We should not allow that to take over our hearts. Galatians 5:26 says: Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other. It is important for you to learn to protect your heart from envy. If you see someone excel in life, be genuinely happy for them. Envy robs your happiness and takes your focus and directs it to what you don’t have or you believe you don’t have, instead of everything God has already given you. Look around and see all the things He has already given you, that other people would love to have. Don’t allow envy to blind you for all the things you can be grateful for today, just because you are focusing on the things you want. Don’t forget that being grateful is linked to the heart. We can only be grateful for things we appreciate deep inside our hearts.
Maybe God has deposited great gifts in you and because you are so focused in others peoples gifts, you have not developed yours to their full potential. Don’t allow the enemy to dim your light and allow jealousy to cast a shadow over your heart.
If God has not released what you want to your life, please keep your peace. Pray and ask God for the discernment to understand if all that you have been desiring or have been envying from brothers, is even beneficial for your life. Stop for a second and think, maybe God has not granted you certain things because they will make you lose your relationship with him or even your salvation. Mark 8:36 says: And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? When jealousy creeps again into your life, go to God and ask if what you desire is in his plans for you. If it is for you, it won’t be long before you receive it. But if is not for you say: “Thanks God for guarding my soul and heart from something that may interfere with my relationship with you.” Next time you feel envy for something, activate your prayer mode and bless your sister/brother. Be happy for his/her accomplishments. The situation between Rachel and Leah took them to a pointless competition making them forget their ties that should unite them, choosing to live in a constant discord. Don’t allow envy to rob you a second of happiness anymore.
Dear God
I pray that all my Leahs that have felt envy or jealousy will come to you and ask for your perfect plan for their lives. That they can focus on all the blessings they already received and be grateful and content with them. Please allow them to wait patiently for those things you have in store for them and they are not ready for yet. Allow them to be grateful for receiving an answer back from you, even if it’s a ‘ No “ For the things they thought they needed. I pray they trust your process and accept that if something is meant to hurt them, You will not allow it. I pray for spiritually stronger Leahs. AMEN!
