Jealousy
Consider this a sequel to a blogpost published on Christmas day last year with the same title, Jealousy. It’s an evil we fight more often than we’ll love to admit. When happenings in our life aren’t going as planned, the goals earmarked for the year haven’t all been achieved.
It’s not strange that this emotion is felt towards the end of the year, It’s a time when we reunite with friends and family. Its the Christmas holidays and most people take time off work and converge at wherever it is they call home.
As it is most times, everyone with their best foot forward, best cars, or at least the least worse one, a few borrowed others hired ones, the best clothes, some were bought brand new, some others second hand, some borrowed too, etc.
Without making you suspect everyone who looks good or seems like that have it all going on, or everyone who actually had a successful year, I want to make you understand that it’s not always what it seems. A few mistaken looking good for being successful, but its not the truth, many times outward appearances are costumes that mask quite a lot. To me success is relative, I’ll say it depends on the price that was paid, a 7 digit account balance at the cost of your peace of mind isn’t success, A bigger house without a good conscience isn’t success.
The fact that you didn’t meet all the goals set out, can be a blessing in disguise, It first of all shows that you set great targets, It also means there is room for improvement, room to restrategize, room to forge ahead. Don’t forget you made progress with the kids, You made progress with the degree, you made progress with your relationships. We’ll never really see this if we keep our eyes on others’ stuff. The temptation is to focus on others than ourself and this must be avoided as there would always be someone seemingly better, with a more handsome account balance, more comfortable automobile, seemingly more succesful children, a ‘better’ job, etc. ALWAYS!!!
So while distancing ourself from mediocrity and setting even higher goals next year, we understand that the grass that looks greener on the other side of your fence might be artificial turf. Keep doing what you’re doing, Keep working smart, do it with a smile, the process is most times more interesting than the destination.
Nothing overcomes jealousy like being convicted and content with God’s plan for your life.
Starting 2019 Jealous would mean starting on a wrong foot. Other people’s success should be a motivation that you can achieve same given time and consistency, and not a reason for you to lose sleep, envying or breeding malice. The grass that looks greener on that lawn may be artificial turf. Merry Christmas.
