When we see someone else having an easier time of it then us, whether it be physically, financially, emotionally, or otherwise, we start to question God. We ask him, "Why do they have it better than us? Haven’t we done everything right? Don’t we deserve better?" However, these are selfish thoughts filled with pride and envy. They fail to recognize that every good we have comes from God and none of them can be earned through our actions. They are freely given gifts, which God can dispose of however he wants regardless of what we might think. We might pray for these things and hope for them, but we should never expect or demand them. Our God gives us exactly what we need to fulfill His Will and be good and faithful servants. We often focus our thanksgiving on what we have, but we should also be thankful for what we do not have because some things we wish we had would not make us better people. They might even lead us away from God. So the next time we see someone else getting ahead, especially if it is someone we dislike, we should not envy them, but rather be thankful for what we do have because often it is far more than we deserve and far more than many others have.
Who are the people in our lives whom we envy? How can we overcome this envy and be thankful for them and content with what we have? What are the things in our lives which we wanted, but never got and how did failing to receive them bring blessings into our lives?
O Lord, grant us what we need to do your Will and no more.
Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment