Guarding Against Envy

Guarding Against Envy

By José Maldonado
​
"He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them." (Mark 6:5 NIV)
​
Mark presents us with a dilemma and forces us to do some self-assessment. He makes sure that we can see the profound impact of faith and the destructive nature of envy and jealousy. This verse reminds us that faith is a crucial component in experiencing God's miracles and that it can be badly compromised when we envy what others have or jealously protect what we think we are entitled to have.

Imagine the scene in Jesus' hometown of Nazareth. He returned, teaching with wisdom and power and leaving the people in awe. However, something shifted in the minds of those people. Instead of focusing on Jesus and His teachings, the majority turned their gaze to themselves. I have to admit that I have been guilty of doing that.

It was as if those people questioned, "Why did his family end up with such a remarkable teacher while our family did not?" Envy, that sickening emotion reared its ugly head. Envy is like a pandemic virus, starting with one individual and rapidly spreading. Left unchecked, it can overtake an entire family or community.

Envy clouds our judgment and often leads us to forgo blessings and even miracles. Jealousy makes us hide, thinking that in that way, we can protect what we have. We foolishly trade the opportunity to witness God's extraordinary works for the fleeting satisfaction of putting others down or hiding what we have. We refuse to lift others up if it means they might shine brighter than us.

Yet, consider the absurdity of this choice. We miss out on amazing divine surprises and miracles in our quest to diminish others or hide. While the rest of the world benefits from God's blessings, we are left empty-handed.

We must learn to recognize and acknowledge envy the moment it rears its head and nip it in the bud. We must remind ourselves that receiving God's blessings and divine surprises far outweighs the poisonous attraction of envy. The moment we allow envy or jealousy to enter our lives, we risk our very own well-being.

We need to quickly shift our focus to count our blessings and embrace an attitude that welcomes God's upcoming blessings. Instead of allowing envy to sow discord and hinder our faith, we ought to choose the path of gratitude, where miracles can unfold and God's abundant divine surprises can freely flow into our lives.