VICAR

Dear Readers of Country Squire Magazine I trust that You and Your families are well. As You sit in rainy Britain are You at all envious of others on beach holidays, as they look forward to another day of sunshine and relaxation on golden sands?

Enviousness is the topic of this week’s prayer. The green-eyed monster that creates so much negativity in Our world.

There are some excellent quotes out there about envy:

There is no greater glory than love, nor any greater punishment than jealousy.

A man shall never be enriched by envy. 

Envy is easy to detect in 2023. Take the trolls on social media who tend to be aged men: divorced, single or in broken relationships. The man with the beautiful wife is envied. The couple with children are envied. The rich are envied. The family who has no need to buy their own furniture is envied. The public school educated are envied. The handsome and beautiful are envied by the ugly. The short envy the tall. The bald envy those with hair on their head. The old envy the younger. The weak envy the powerful. The manic envy the stable. The mentally ill envy the mentally unafflicted. The dim envy the intelligent, and so on.

The Bible has a lot to say about the weaknesses of envy:

“A sound heart is the life of the flesh: but envy the rottenness of the bones” (Proverbs 14:30)

“For you are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are you not carnal, and walk as men?” (1 Corinthians 3:3)

“Fret not yourself because of evildoers, neither be you envious against the workers of iniquity.” (Psalm 37:1)

Being rid of envy is no easy task. Only by resolving the envy in Your heart can You get peace and comfort. Praying will help You shake off the shackles of envy. Confronting Your weaknesses will also help You.

Be honest with Yourself. Look in the mirror. How can You improve Yourself? Or are You lost, along with Your soul, like the men (and some women) who spend all day long online abusing others, projecting their self-hatred on others against whom in this world they can never compare? One wonders what these people think when it is their time to die … what will their thoughts about how they spent their lives be?

• Shift your focus to the goodness in your life.
• Remind yourself that nobody has it all.
• Avoid people who habitually value the wrong things.
• Spend time with grateful people.
• Understand that marketers routinely fan the flame.
• Celebrate the success of others.
• Be generous.

“But if you have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. This wisdom descends not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.” (James 3:14–16)

Have a good week ahead. And God Bless You All.

Everlasting Father, I desire to be as holy as You are. Set me free of the thoughts that consume my mind which cause jealousy to arise. Substitute the negativity and cruelty within my heart with Your peace and love, and gentle kindness. Amen.