It's Not Easy Being Green

Envy.  What do you think about envy?  Until recently I thought it sounded like a less offensive term than jealousy.  I felt better saying that I was 'envious' of someone or something, rather than saying I was 'jealous'.  I thought that they were a pretty much synonymous. Then I went on our third year college weekend away.

Did you know that envy is more than just jealousy?  Envy adds a whole new level of maliciousness.  According to my ancient and pre-political correctness Chambers's Dictionary, envy is "grief at the sight of another's success: to hate on account of prosperity".  Now that sounds pretty darn serious, but as Bill Salier pointed out, it can be seen on all kinds of levels in our society.  At a seeminlgy harmless level, you see it in the gossip magazine's "Celebrities without makeup" photo shoots.  We get that little surge of pleasure at seeing seemingly flawless beauties with bad hair and pimples.  You also get a sense of it on Funniest Home Videos.  At an extreme, you see it when parents hurt their children so that their estranged partners "can't have them".  Societally, you see it played out in our 'tall poppy syndrome'.  We Aussies love to cut those who rise above us back down to size.  Envy is rife.

I don't like to admit it, but envy is resident in my heart too.  Honestly, sometimes when I hear about good things being given to other people there is a little part of me that wishes that I could have it instead of them.  The little voice that whispers, "Why them?  I work so much harder. I am so much more deserving!"  Or that thought that if only Jane had a little bit of a taste of how hard things are for me, then she'd really know what this job/parenting/running a household is all about.

How quickly I forget everything that God has given me that I have not, can not and will never deserve.  I have forgiveness and every spiritual blessing (Ephesians 1:3), and yet I stew over and begrudge these tiny fleeting things that appear so very big at the time.  Envy is evidently something that we are seriously warned to put off (1 Corinthians 13:4, Galatians 5:21, Galatians 5:26,  Titus 3:3, 1 Peter 2:1), but how do we do this?  To scratch the surface, Galatians 5 implores us to keep in step with the Spirit and it's desires, and to put off the desires of our sinful natures.  I think regular Bible reading can be a big help here, reminding ourselves of God's big plan and everything he's done for us and keeping our priorities in line with his.  Prayer is another huge one - asking for God's help to overcome envy and praying for those that we feel envious of, perhaps even thanking God for the way that he was blessed them.  Steering clear of people or situations that provoke us to envy might also be helpful.  Be encouraged that in imploring us to put off envy, with the Spirit's help, it is possible.

How wonderful that it is not only our actions, but also our thoughts that are important to God.  He loves us in our entirety and changes us entirely through his Spirit. Thank you Lord for a new hearts. Please help us not to return to our old ones.

Image is by lamazone of flickr

Children are for Sharing

Life can be pretty fun with small children, and after the week that I've had, also extremely frustrating and tiring, but on the whole Fun.  Their little voices are just so cute  as they giggle and play and snuggle up to read a book (or eat one, depending on their age and stage).  I've become increasingly convinced, however, that children are also for sharing.

We get told that we are a 'global village', but I think the every day reality as you walk down the street, especially in a big city, is one of individualism and busyness.  We can retreat into our own little worlds and struggle to connect with others, especially people we've never met before.  Children, however, can burn through all of that like a laser beam.  I now really try to take the time, whilst counselling Hannah to "Sit down... Stay where Mummy can see you... Put that back on the shelf - you can look, but don't touch," to see who is watching my kids and, if appropriate, take the opportunity to have a chat with them.  There's nothing like a 2 year old "changing bug's (a toy we take in the pram) nappy" in the waiting room, while your waiting to see a GP to connect with those around you and brighten their day.  It's such a natural way to strike up conversations as people start by asking their ages, and then keep on chatting.  I've been amazed at some of the more personal things people have told me, because being friendly and having kids with me seems to mark me out as someone trustworthy.  And the kids, aside from bringing smiles and giggles to those around them, can have a ministry all of their own.  One that sometimes I can learn from.

I remember my brother and sister-in-law telling me that their oldest son came home from school one day and declared that during lunch he had told his friend Jimmy that "he was going to go to hell because he didn't believe in Jesus."  While I wouldn't generally recommend that as an evangelism method, it certainly is direct!  One of my other favourite stories comes from an email that was circulating a few years ago.  Some of the details may be a bit off, but the gist is that a mother was busy working in her kitchen when she looked out the window and saw her 3 year old son sitting out on the porch of their next door neighbour's house, snuggled up on the elderly gent's lap.  She hoped that he wasn't being too annoying, because the old man had just lost his wife of fifty years.  Eventually the boy hopped down and came back home.  His Mum asked him what he had been doing next door and the little boy said, "Mr Jones is very sad, so I was helping him cry."

I hope that I can be so free to rejoice with others when they rejoice, and mourn with them when they mourn.