This past week, our bible study was on jealousy and although it's hard to admit (out loud), it really spoke to me. After going through this lesson, I was able to admit to myself and to someone else that I have some "jealous" areas in my life that I need to work on. Everything in this lesson is true and spoke volumes to me, so I thought I would share just in case it's something anyone else needed to hear as well.
The Truth About Jealousy
"Just because we see someone advancing before us does not mean that God is withholding His goodness toward us. He may be simply preparing us for what will come in the future."
I know I have had a VERY hard time with this about certain things in my life. I used to not understand why all my friends were getting married and I kept having failed relationship after failed relationship. Now, I see why...God knew I would meet Ben and God was rescuing me from all those other relationships that may have been good, but they weren't God's plan. At times, I don't understand why God hasn't granted me a huge desire of my heart---to have children (when everyone else is having them), but I have to remind myself that He sees the bigger picture as I see only the here and now.
"God loves us with an everlasting love, and He has a plan for our lives. This plan, however, may not unfold at the same time as God's plan for another person. We need to be patient and wait for God to give us His blessings at the right time. When we become jealous, we risk missing His best gifts because we are focused only on what we do not have. When we choose this route, a lot of time can be wasted entertaining feelings of heartache, frustration, worry and envy."
God may as well have been standing right in front of me speaking this to me, because it sure felt like it! I have to remember that Satan's primary goal is to shift my attention/focus away from God and onto my circumstances. The enemy wants me to become jealous, distracted and prideful. Lots of times our circumstances don't make sense to us from our perspective, but from God's point of view, they make perfect sense.
"God knows what we need and what we can handle. He may want to bless us in a certain area, but if He knows we are not ready for the blessing, He will withhold it for a later time. Are you willing to wait?"
Disarming Jealousy
How can we effectively deal with the jealousy in our own lives?
1.) ADMIT that we are envious.
2.) ACKNOWLEDGE that we are in conflict with God.
3.) THANK God for what He has done in our lives. (Mrs. Karen said one time that whenever you feel down and don't understand why something is happening...think of something to be thankful for. It's hard to be mad and thankful at the same time.)
4.) PRAY and ask God to help us see the heart of the other person at the center of conflict.
5.) We need to be willing to WAIT for God to work. (As we wait, we can listen for His voice of instruction.)
6.) ASK God to help us hear His voice over the clamor of the world.
7.) DELIGHT yourself in God. ("Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart."--Psalm 37:4)
I have SO much in my life to be thankful for...I don't want to ruin that by letting the enemy get a foothold with jealousy. I know this lesson really spoke to me, I hope it spoke to you too! :)
On a completely different note, Beth (Ben's sister) had a baby shower today. It was so much fun! I can't wait for my very first niece, Katelyn, to get here at the end of February!
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