Green Fog of Envy

Once there was a monk who lived in a cave in the wilderness. He had a great reputation for holiness. His reputation reached Hell itself, whereupon the devil took three of his key demons with him to tempt the monk out of his sanctity. Annoyed that the demons failed, the devil barked, "Step aside, and I will show you what has never failed." The devil strolled up beside the monk, leaned over and whispered, 'Have you heard the news? Your classmate has just been named bishop." And the face of the monk scowled.

Be honest with yourself, everyone envies someone sometime. We envy those who get the promotion we sought or get to retire. We envy those whose talents seem better and whose families seem more intact. We envy those whose personalities glisten and whose gifts sparkle when placed next to ours. If envy is natural, like being left-handed, what's wrong with it?

Scripture offers several reasons to beware of envy. First, envy is not good for you. Proverbs 14:30 puts it bluntly: A mind at peace gives life to the body but envy rots the bones! Envy is numbered among the deadly sins because it can kill you. It can kill your joy, your hope, your peace, and your capacity to love. It can kill your faith and the sense of the nearness of Christ. It can kill your sense of fulfillment because, no matter what you do, someone has done more, or done it better, or done it faster, or done it with greater recognition and praise. Left unchecked, envy can kill everything that makes you a 'human' being. Envy rots the bones.

The second problem with envy is that it lures you into doing stupid things. I read about a merchant in a small town who ran a store across the street from another merchant. They were keen competitors and the one merchant began to envy the other. One night an angel appeared to the envious merchant and said, "I will grant you one wish but with the proviso that, whatever you want, your rival will get twice as much. If you want more wealth, more business, or more happiness, your rival will get twice as much. Now, what do you want?" The envious merchant replied, "Blind me in one eye."

A third problem with envy is that it can drain our sense of gratitude. We get mean and nasty when others accomplish some great task. Gratitude for those who had helped overcome a problem is washed away by envy over their success. Envy drains our personal contribution and saps the spirit of thankfulness for what others have accomplished.

How does one respond to the temptation of envy? Envy is a poisonous but powerful motivator in the lives of some people. If our feelings toward others are turning to envy, we must acknowledge this is happening. Excuses and alibis just don't cut it. "But he really is a jerk .. and .. she really doesn't deserve that recognition" are statements we can cloak in pious and professional language, but we do so at the price of evading the truth. If the temptation to envy or the spirit of envy is working in your life, name the beast. Do not perfume it, rationalize it, or excuse it. Call it by name. There is a big difference between calling a physical problem a 'boo boo' and calling it 'cancer.' Envy is spiritual cancer. Call it what it is.

In Philippians 2:3-11, Paul offers a response to envy. Do good to the one you are tempted to envy: "Do nothing from selfishness or conceit, but in humility count others better than yourself. Let each of you look not only to his own interests but also to the interests of others" (Philippians 2:3-4).

If you are tempted to envy someone because of the position they hold, or the success of their accomplishments, double your efforts to help that person succeed in that position. If envy creeps into your relationships with others because of their higher performance, or their success with their career or relationships, or whatever, intentionally seek to do them some special good. "Count others better than yourselves," not as a put-down to your gifts but as a defense against the cancer of envy.

The problem with green eyes -- with looking at life through the lens of envy -- is that it turns everything it sees into the same shade of green. This is not green, the color of life, but the sickly green, the color you turn during a very rough day at sea on a very small boat. It is gradual. First you feel well, then you feel unwell; then you feel as if you are dying, then you wish you were dead, and finally you start to envy the dead! "Envy rots the bones."
Envy does not have to tint the life of the Christian. Call it by name when it tempts you. Do good for those on whom envy would have you cast a sneering stare. Refocus on the priority of Christ in your life. Channel your thought life into what builds up rather than what tears down. As you seek to do these things by faith, and with the help of God's Spirit, you will find the sickly green fog of envy lifting from your vision. You will begin to see life clearly, as God intends you to see. And the view is magnificent.