Envy

Did you know that envy is the enemy of gratitude? We see things with our eyes everyday that we feel envy for, like a new car, a bigger home, someones job. Or maybe you envy a person for how they look, how popular they are, or what they possess. If you let envy get hold of you, before long you can forget to be grateful for what you do have. It is hard to fight off envy in today's world. We are inundated with all types of media that creates dissatisfaction in what we currently have, to then create a desire for what we don't have, it's called marketing. But many of us buy into the marketing ploy and we find ourselves in debt, still having envy for other things we don't have.

Maybe you think you would be better in some way if you could lose weight, change your hair color, have a little plastic surgery. I am surprised how we envy the rich and famous. There are a number of television shows that report the daily activities of the rich and famous. What party they attended, who they date, where they shop. We forget over the years what happened to those we envied like Marilyn Monroe, John Belushi, Michael Jackson, and Elvis Presley. For I was envious at the arrogant, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked Ps73:3 The bi-product of envy is grief, bitterness, and ignorance. Envy is short term, it's time for us to get a new perspective.

The key to gratitude is to be satisfied with the portion you have been given. Contentment is desiring what you already have. You need to enjoy what you already have, family, friends, your work, the food you eat, the clothes on your back. You also need to accept that you don't need to spend your life working to get all the things you think you need. I don't know anyone who had a U-haul follow them to the grave. Once you stop desiring all you don't have and start enjoying what you do have, you will see you are truly blessed and rich beyond your imagination. What or who are you envious of and why?