found on Pinterest.

Pitty Party

Girl, I ain’t got a jealous bone in my body!  HAhahhahahah! Sure, hun! We’ve all been guilty of it– you know you have. I have. Emotions are so powerful, aren’t they? We experience them with every breath we take. Joy, love, sadness, grief, pride, fear, envy, accomplishment…Social media outlets do an excellent job influencing who we are and behaviors we adopt or modify. We wind up harboring negative feelings and emotions about who we are, what we don’t have, what you do have. Ughhhh, before you know it, we’re envious AND depressed. Now don’t get us wrong, we love witnessing the beautiful moments that life brings–like your old roomie that just got married, your sister who just had a baby, or maybe your best friend’s husband that just landed his dream job, but you know what happens here. We experience a millisecond of joy for them and THEN, when we have a moment, we begin to stew on why these wonderful things aren’t coming into fruition for ourselves. You are thrilled that they have found completeness, but it also seems to highlight your incompleteness at the time. Maybe you’ve been desperately trying to get pregnant, but you can’t. Or you recently went through a brutal breakup with the one you knew you were destined to live the rest of your life with. We really think people have good intentions on social media for the most part, but have you ever thought about the over exposure of it all? The tEEnnnyyy tiny details we learn about old friends? And this is at a click of a button. In seconds we can refresh news feeds to remind ourselves that we’re a failure. ***STATUS UPDATE*** New photos stream in of a friend who dropped 50 pounds, a friend that purchased a convertible vet, went on a luxury vacay or just won the lottery. WHY, WHY, oh why couldn’t that be MEeeeee??? And here’s where the jealousy begins to fester for the self-proclaimed content individual.

found on pinterest.com

STEP 1: Self-Evaluate

Ok, so let’s be super honest here. You must determine what and who you’re envious of. Don’t be afraid of this step and it’s important to write it down. Research supports the notion that when you record your thoughts, it’s easier to let go of them in the long run. Don’t beat yourself up about what you discover; we’re all guilty of it and human for heaven’s sake! It’s virtually impossible to overcome unless you first acknowledge. This is for no one but yourself, so you gotta be brutally honest here.

STEP 2: How to Overcome

Take a deep look at your self-evaluation. Is it worldly things you’re after? Are you lustful? Is it discontentment of who you are? Classifying your results will help you identify where to place your focus. And it also gives you a clear snapshot of who or what is creating the turbulence in your life. Now when you pray, you can confess and pray for these specific needs rather than just praying in a generalized manner. God commands us to confess our sins in order to be fully forgiven so we can be set free of the worldly things that are holding us back from nurturing our relationship with Him and the people in our lives.

Step 3: Study & Pray

Philippians 4:11-13 (KJV) 

¹¹ Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.

¹² I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.

¹³ I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

As Christians we totally miss the point at times. Take heed to what Paul teaches in Philippians.  He was a very educated man. He had been brought up under the most skilled Jewish teacher from childhood, but he came to a point in his adult life that he realized that through good times and bad and when he had much and very little, he could be quite content. Paul realized that so long as Jesus was in the matter and he kept his eyes on Him, he could be happy and at peace. He learned to walk in the joy of the Lord no matter his circumstances. This is where he drew his strength from. We should take notes and keep our eyes on Jesus no matter what comes our way (or what doesn’t) and believe that He orders our steps and knows what’s best for us. Sometimes tests aren’t fun, but necessary to purify our hearts.

James 3:14-16 (KJV)

¹⁴ But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth.

¹⁵ This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.

¹⁶ For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.

James tells us that jealousy is inspired by the devil, the father of lies. I don’t know about you, but that’s enough to make me be super cautious about how I react to others. Particularly when they are on the receiving end of the blessing and we’re just observing.  Let’s ask the Holy Spirit, our helper, to change our hearts when it comes to others having things that we might not yet have. Who knows, God may be waiting on our reaction to see how He is going to bless us. Be satisfied with what God’s blessed you with. God is not the author of confusion. Find clarity and peace in His word and be happy, not envious, for those around you.

Many Blessings,

Four Sisters Blogging

Kendra, Tonia, Blake & Tiffany

Instagram @faithistheseed

Email: faithistheseed@hotmail.com