We, as a society, sometimes pitch a figurative temper tantrum whenever we can't get what we want or not get our way. Like a five-year-old in the candy section of the grocery store or the Barbie section of Toys-R-Us, we would figuratively fall on our backs, kicking our feet and waving our fists all while screaming at the top of our lungs because we didn't get our way. Even I admit to having this selfish attribute although I don't really pitch a fit because I can't afford the latest edition of the iPad or a Kindle Fire.
What inspired this blog post was something I saw on my work commute yesterday. I had sat down on the bus that was to go from one trolley/metro station to another. A mother and her young daughter, about three years old, sat in front of me. Once the bus was approaching the intended stop, I pulled the stop cord to signal the driver to drop me off at the next bus stop. Just a nanosecond after I had done that, the young girl tried to reach for the same cord so SHE could pull it down but her mother pulled her away from it. The young girl then turned around and gave me the dirtiest look she could give, stuck her tongue out at me, shook her little tiny fist, and then pretended to throw something at me by doing a throwing motion with her hand. I took all of this in stride and merely smiled at her, which probably made her angrier. However, she didn't pitch a hissy fit or anything and was well behaved after they got off of the bus stop.
Most of the time when we don't get our way, we shrug it off but sometimes it tends to stew a bit in our egos and it sometimes leads to jealousy. In the Bible in the book of Philippians 2:3, it states that nothing should be done in selfishness. "Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself." Also look at James 3:14-16. "But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there."
Yes folks, selfishness and envy, according to James 3:14-16, are "demonic." It's human nature to lust or want something that someone else has or has done, but to dwell or stew in envious misery, is to sin against God. Angry that your neighbor has a new big screen TV while all you could afford was one half that size? Envy and jealousy do not make the "problem" bigger; they only compound it.
From my experience, I've learned to forget what made me jealous in the first place. It's best to count your blessings and be thankful for what you have, especially during the past holiday season when you were hoping Santa would drop an XBox 360 under the tree and finding out that you got a new blender instead. After hoping and dreaming of a Kindle under the tree last month, I finally got the chance to rip all those boxes tagged "To Shannon" on them to shreds. What I found was a new blouse, new pajamas, an apple slicer, a headset to plug into my TV (kinda like the TV Ears), and opera tickets (which made my Christmas), but no Kindle. My dad confessed that he had intended to buy Kindles for both Mom and myself but unfortunately, only had enough money to buy one due to financial issues (his debit card was declined at the local grocery store the week prior, which made him very upset). He promised that he would buy me one in the near future and until then, Mom and I had to share the Kindle (but technically, the e-reader still belonged to Mom). I felt disappointed and I think most of us would feel that way, too, but I also felt jealous. However, my jealousy made me feel ungrateful and selfish, knowing that my dad had me in mind when he went to Best Buy to pick out Mom's Christmas gift. Plus, opera tickets are not cheap so getting those made up for my lack of an e-reader. Still, perhaps I could save up my own money so Dad wouldn't have to buy me one but if he offered to do just that, then I won't complain. :) Besides, I have financial issues of my own so I can definitely empathize with my father. I have learned to put aside my envy and selfishness knowing that my Dad had my best interests in heart and realizing that he needed to stay on a budget because of his financial situation. And I still love my parents. :)
We all need to stop grimacing and shaking our fists at God and the world because we never got our way or got what we wanted. We need to stop being ungrateful and being thankful for what we have in our lives and give thanks to God for being our Provider. Just like The Rolling Stones song says, "You can't always get what you want."
