Jealousy

I was listening to a sermon by Andy Stanley yesterday concerning jealousy. He proposes that when we are jealous, we aim it at someone. For instance, we might be jealous that a person has a car we like, so we dislike that person, which is really kind of dumb.

He thinks that jealousy is a problem. The person of whom we are jealous can do nothing to solve our problem; therefore, that person is not our problem. He believes that our problem is that we think that God owes us something. God owes us a new car -- it's only fair that he give us one, because he gave that other person one.

His solution to that problem is for us to come to understand that God gives as he will -- he owes us nothing, and he can choose to give or to take away as he wishes.

I agree that we take out our jealousy on the the person in front of us, and it is dumb. I do agree, to some extent, that God gives as he wishes -- but I don't believe that he is in the business of doling out cars.

I think that kind of anger is a bad consequence of the belief that everything that happens -- every single event -- is a manipulation of God. I think some things just happen, and are not part of God's will.

I also believe that if our happiness is based on the kind of car that we drive, then we have bigger problems than jealousy.

Image: Bevery Hills UMC. We went to our nephew's piano recital on Sunday at this church.