Uproot envy, my sister.

“Of course, godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, so we cannot carry anything out of it” 1 Timothy 6:6-7, Berean Standard Bible.

Sometimes my younger children will see their sibling get something, and they will scream, that’s not fair! I know in their young mind no matter how I try to explain that their sister or brother deserves the reward, gift or opportunity because of something they did, they still maintain how they have something I don’t have and that’s not fair. They don’t care how hard their sibling worked in school, how much time they put into perfecting their craft, how much play time they sacrificed, or how much effort they put into saving their money. They are precious but immature and envious. My job as their mother is to correct the behavior while helping them see how blessed they are, and help them get the most from their lives.

How often do we see our sister with the new car she paid cash for while we ride the beat up car that can only get us to work and back. How often do we see our sister’s husband do all of these nice things for her, while our husband doesn’t seem to care. How often does our sister seize an opportunity that brings in the mother load of financial increase while we over here trying to figure out a new way to cook potatoes because we don’t have it like that.

When envy rears itself, don’t just chop it down. You’ve got to uproot it with goodness. Go and be good to sisters who are blessed of God. Bless that healthy marriage with a date night. Bless that prospering ministry with a financial seed. Bless that fruitful life with a message that says, Girl, I see what God is doing in your life and I rejoice with you, and pray that God continues to bless you richly. The more you keep your heart right before God, the more you will see fruitfulness in your life. With people and what they have out of your focus, you can then focus on your gifts, callings, relationships and your life as a whole.

Envy is a full-proof way to get people so dissatisfied with their life that they simply give up and throw in the towel. They stop praying, stop believing, stop trusting God, and stop thanking Him because they’re too busy screaming, that’s not fair! Let’s not behave like my seven year old. We’re daughters of God and we are determined to keep our hearts right and respond properly in life.

Prayer: Lord, help your daughters not be envious. Help envy not take root but instead be pulled up through our love for our sisters and our trust in you. Help us not behave like children who scream that’s not fair but instead be women who praise you Lord for every blessing in our sister’s life. We pray you continue to bless your daughters beyond anything they can hope for or imagine. We trust you with our lives and choose to focus on what you are doing with us. In Jesus’ name, Amen.