Kids believe weird stuff. For example, I have a friend who, when he was young, didn\u2019t think girls pooped. I guess, for him, femininity and bodily functions couldn\u2019t co-exist. (Little did he know.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 13:4, “Love does not envy.” Envy is one of the biggest enemies of love, because it makes us believe weird stuff. In his book Living for God<\/em>, theologian Frank Hasel defines envy<\/em> as \u201ca form of blindness in which I can no longer realistically see my own gifts, or the blessings God has given me. Instead, my perception is intensely focused on the achievements, possessions, or strengths of others.\u201d1 <\/sup>In other words, when we\u2019re envious, we\u2019re looking at others through a \u201cgirls don\u2019t poop\u201d lens. Envy tells us they sit on a throne of only blessings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2026if I want someone\u2019s blessing, would I take their story too?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n I used to be jealous of a friend. I thought she was funnier, more popular, and a better writer. She had struggles, but my focus was on the gifts and talents I wanted. If I could talk to my younger self, I\u2019d explain an idea I read about in Frank\u2019s book. Let\u2019s call it the chocolate box fallacy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When we envy, we act like a person\u2019s blessings are arbitrarily put together, like a box of chocolates. We fantasize about how much better off we\u2019d be if only we could insert whatever they have into our own life. But people aren\u2019t like boxes of chocolate. Everything in our lives is connected to something else. Every blessing has a story. When we see people, we see only what we envy, but, Frank writes, when God looks at us, He sees \u201cthe liabilities that come along with each blessing\u201d (ibid, pg. 49).<\/p>\n\n\n\n The question to ask is, if I want someone\u2019s blessing, would I take their story too? Would I take the depression that forged a friend\u2019s ability to make people laugh? Would I take the loneliness that often comes from always having something intelligent to say but never knowing how to listen and make lasting friends?<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you struggle with envy, practice being grateful that you\u2019re you. When we begin to accept ourselves\u2014the blessings and<\/em> flaws\u2014we can begin to accept and love others without resentment, because, well, they poop too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n