ReaD Deuteronomy 6:15
“For the Lord your God, who is among you, is a jealous God and his anger will burn against you, and he will destroy you from the face of the land.” (Deuteronomy 6:15)
Is it safe to say that jealousy has been recurrent in my life recently? It’s like that mark on the wall that catches your eye, distracting you until eventually you forget all about it. Then something causes you to look in that direction and that mark is on your mind again.
Most of the time, the jealousy that I experience pops up at dance practice. When choreographing a dance there is a small amount of time for so many possible things and not many people to choose from to do those things. Dancers get solo parts, and I’m never one of them. I get jealous of those people and start to question why I work so hard to succeed and yet seemingly go unnoticed.
Jealousy is a common emotion amongst all of us as humans. Maybe your coworker got that promotion you’ve been working hard towards, or someone you know might be going on yet another vacation while you have to work.
There are two sides to jealousy: envy and zeal. Envy leads to strife, chaos, and evil. It is destructive. On the contrary there is God’s zealousness which is passionate, protective, and loving. When we are distracted by the false idols of life, we fail to give back to God, causing jealousy.
The distractions in our lives, careers, money, social media, anything we value higher than our relationship with God, lead us to ignore Him as Creator of the world. God desires a relationship with us that was made possible through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
For Reflection:
- Take an evaluation of your life—what areas have you elevated above your relationship with God? How can you reorient your priorities so that He is in His proper place?
By Damar James-Harvey
