Green with Envy

Bible Reading: Psalm 107:8-9; Galatians 5:24-26; Philippians 4:11-13

“Ouch!” yelled Patrick when his sister pinched him. “What was that for?”

Ciara giggled. “You’re not wearing green! You have to wear green on St. Patrick’s Day.”

“Yeah, well, my name is Patrick, so that should count the same as wearing green!”

Ciara tipped her head in consideration. “I don’t know…I’m not sure the kids at school will agree. You might be getting pinched a lot today.”

Patrick sighed. “You’re probably right.” He went to his room to change but returned a minute later. “Mom, I can’t find my green hoodie. Have you seen it?”

“You mean the one you begged me to buy for you because Beau had a sweatshirt with the same sports team logo on it, and then you only wore it once?” asked Mom.

“Uh…yeah, that one.”

“I gave it to your cousin when he was here at Christmas.”

“You gave it to Will? Mom!” Patrick groaned. “What am I supposed to wear now? All my other green clothes are in the laundry.”

“Maybe you won’t need to wear green after all,” said Ciara. “You’re already green with envy!”

Patrick looked at his sister. “Huh?”

“You wanted that hoodie so bad because Beau had one, so you envied him.”

Patrick glared at his sister, then realized she was right. “I guess I do often want things because Beau has them. I get jealous because his parents buy him whatever he wants.”

“If that’s the case, it’s good you’re able to recognize that,” said Mom. “That means you can take steps to fix it.”

“Like what?” asked Patrick.

“Like confessing your envy to Jesus and asking Him to forgive you,” Mom replied. “And remembering that you already have everything you need because He died and rose again to save you. That’s the cure for envy—turning to Jesus and remembering that He gives us our worth, not anything we own, and that He loves Beau just as much as He loves you. Beau is worth much more than what he owns too.”

Patrick nodded and turned to his sister. “Can I borrow your green bandana, Cee? Since I’m not green with envy anymore, I need something to wear to school so I don’t get pinched!”

-Courtney Lasater

How About You?

Do you get jealous when other people have things you don’t? Envy makes us see others in terms of what they have instead of who they are—people loved by God, just like us. That’s why it has no place in a Christian’s life. Instead, we need to look to Jesus for our worth and satisfaction. He is the one who saved us, and He promises to give us everything we need.

Today’s Key Verse:
Philippians 4:19 (NIV) And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.

Today’s Key Thought:

Don’t envy others