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Ameren father makes mitts and this is
essential presents so I was reading in
the Bible the other day the story of
King Saul and then when David comes
along right and David has been anointed
to be the future king defeats Goliath
and they go into the city and the women
come out and a praise they say Saul has
slain his thousands and David his tens
of thousands and then the line after
that says from that moment on Envy
entered into King Saul's heart and this
bitterness against David as it's been
reflecting on Envy because I think in
some ways we can be like well you know
envies not that big of a deal or
jealousy I liked I mean some people use
those two in two different ways um I
just want to put them together there's a
wisdom in separating envy and jealousy
just to kind of get more precision I'm
gonna smash them together and call it
envelo see wait that no I'm just call it
envy or jealousy
what is Envy what's jealousy it's what
Saul had for David it's sadness at the
blessings of another right they I'm in
the way to say you can say I'm sad
because you're happy or on the flip side
it's unhappy because you're sad I'm sad
because you have a gift that I don't
have I'm sad because you have a status
that I don't have I'm sorry that you I'm
sad that you are someone I wish I could
be that's not the same thing as as
admiring someone and saying wow that's
an incredible car that you're driving
that'll be really cool to have that or
it's you play the violin so awesomely
and you sat sit in first chair I would
love some day to sit in first chair I'm
not sad at your blessings I'm not sad at
your skill and that sad at your
excellence I'm inspired by it that's a
whole different thing but Envy at its
heart is this sadness we have to realize
that this isn't like just kind of a like
a silly sin it really it actually is
silly it's a silly sin why because
virtually every other sin gives us at
least some moment of pleasure it gives
us even some fleeting moment of
happiness right I mean think of any
other sin that you or I choose to do on
a regular basis we do it because at
least for a moment it makes us feel good
Envy is so weird because not even for a
moment
does it make us feel good and yet some
people can be
consumed by envy that they let that
thing Drive and guide their entire lives
is this remarkable that's one of the
reasons why I think Dante I read read
this a little bit ago in the inferno
those were in Hell for the sin of envy
they had to suffer in his very poetic
way he was describing this they had to
suffer an eternity by having their
eyelids sewn shut
with threads of metal wire no why
well because that's kind of what the
envious person how that's how they live
now is I don't see my own blessings I
can't possibly I'm blind my own
blessings and I'm constantly looking for
the blessings of others and to realize
that the heart of this is to our two
things at least one is an attitude of
obscure city an attitude that is like in
it numbed to the fact that I have an
abundance of blessings in my own life
you have an abundance of blessings
general life in your own life
that's why Dante would say their eyelids
are sewn shut because they can't see the
abundant blessings in their own life
they see scarcity where there's actually
abundance and they're constantly looking
and comparing themselves to others one
of the remedies for that would be
obviously obviously gratitude so if you
find yourself being an envious person I
would say take a moment and stop and
actually count your blessings if dick
King David King Saul I mean would have
done that what what yeah my thousands
David his tens of thousands but that
doesn't take away from my thousands and
that's the second thing
in fact the Catholic Encyclopedia has a
definition of envy that I think is
really really enlightening and B is
sorrow which one entertains at another's
well-being we said that already
because of a view that one's own
excellence is in consequence lessened
basically the idea that um because you
are blessed because someone else has
something that means that I have to have
less and this is the crazy thing that
King Saul he was anointed by God he was
chosen by God yes at this point he was
you know got on his way out as far as
Kings are concerned but he was gonna
live out his kingship until the end of
his life as David even says you know
essentially I'm not gonna strike down
the Lord's anointed and yet Saul
couldn't see
the fact that David's ascendancy David's
blessing didn't take anything away from
him and this is the same thing the
people around you their gifts their
skills the degree to which they are
loved doesn't take anything away from
your gifts your skills or the degree to
which you are loved so gratitude is one
of the remedies for envy but there's a
more profound remedy for envy and it
isn't about willpower and it's not about
writing out a list of all the blessings
you have you simply about grace I'm
afraid that I'm less because you are
more what do I need to do I need to go
to a place where I can be reminded of my
goodness and you need to go to a place
where you can remind it of your goodness
and who can remind you more fully of
your goodness than the father I always
say this more than gratitude the remedy
for Envy is placing yourself under the
gaze of the Father place yourself in the
presence of God the Father and let him
look upon you and that gaze that raises
you up the gaze that says I claim you as
my son I claim you as my daughter I give
my only begotten son as a ransom for you
that this is what you are worth what
about other people no no no this is what
you are worth to find your worth
beneath the gaze of the Father to be
given your identity beneath the gaze of
the Father because that gaze the eyes of
the father resting upon you is what
frees people from the bondage of envy is
what frees people from this is slavery
to competition when you recognize that
the way the father looks at you is
wholly and entirely and infinitely
unique because you are unique to him it
frees us from any tenth temptation to
jealousy and we've any temptation to
envy and any temptation towards this in
a weird competition my brothers and
sisters I just liked you if you the
enemy's been plaguing you grip in your
heart because you
I don't have enough everyone else has
more I'm less because they're better not
only be grateful for what you do have
but secondly place yourself beneath the
gaze of the Father and let him remind
you not only of who you are but even
more importantly who you are to him his
son his daughter the one he loves that
should be enough to be able to find joy
in this world and even joy in the
blessings of the people around you for
all of us here at Accenture presents my
name's father Mike
god bless hey be sure to LIKE subscribe
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