the month of February stirs a couple pretty strong emotions.
today, i want to discuss three of them.
most obvious; love.
everywhere you look you see heart-speckled cards, pink frosting for school treats and wine is conveniently discounted as well. the world falls in line with the craze and for a few weeks we are marketed with ways to pour our hearts out.
the next: independence.
for those people who aren’t in relationships, there is a sense of pride in being alone, and a salmon-like tendency to swim against the current. while the world is dining over arbitrary candlelit meals, these people are having pizza with friends.
finally; jealousy.
oh, jealousy… if you’ve lived, you know it. it is not something we like to possess, but since we are human, it is there. this month seems to literally yank it out of the depths of our hearts and make us into green grinches of the holiday of love.
the way to becoming jealous seems to be pretty common.
1. we see something we want; be it love, money, attention, or praise.
2. we realized we are lacking in it
3. and then we want it… like crazy
we are upset we do not have it. we blame people or circumstances for our lack. we play the “shoulda woulda coulda” game with our tender spirits. worst of all, we begin to look narrow-eyed and bitter at anyone that does have what we want.
sinful, yes.. but jealousy can actually be a good thing when used properly.
there are more than a few mentions of our God being jealous, most notably, the first commandment.
“You shall have no other gods before me….for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God..”
in the same piece of Scripture, the very last commandment, God commands us not to be jealous
“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”
if the Lord tells us not to covet, not to become jealous,
then why does He tells us outright at the beginning that He is jealous?
simply put: God is jealous for us, not of us.
the difference isn’t always so clear, but if we really think about it, we begin to understand the love God has for us. God is jealous because we belong to Him. He wants the best for us. He says “have no other gods before me” not because He is insecure, but because He is 100% certain that no other “god” could love us the way He does.
humans are not able to love like that unless we have God in our hearts. we are jealous of people, not for people. we give power to the sin that could happen, not the commitment to our spouse. we give more thought to what we are missing than what we have. we want more than we do because we are trying to fill a void. all of these things are signature of a jealousy and a coveting that can only lead to sin. God’s jealousy is the one that will lead to life.
to be completely honest, jealousy is something i have struggled with for all of my life. i have never felt good enough for anyone, and this has carried into my marriage. when i become jealous in regards to my husband, i can honestly say it’s not because i know he has the very best at home, but that he may find better somewhere else. i am jealous of someone else, not jealous for the one i love most.
knowing God’s love for me and for us is starting to work on my heart and my jealousy. i know that He is jealous for me, and has the very best to offer me. that love from God encourages me to be a better wife and mother, and become so full that i know what it is to be jealous for someone i love.
have you ever known a jealousy like God’s?
do you know what it is to want more for someone than what they are currently getting?
© 2013 – 2020, Kristin Cho. All rights reserved. Love it? Please share, pin, tweet or email but do not use my work without permission.
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