“Celebration sends a kill shot right to the heart of envy.”

A thought by Craig Groeschel (2015-10-27) from his book, #Struggles: Following Jesus in a Selfie-Centered World (p. 36). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)

Here is what Craig says about envy. This is so important for us to see especially at this time of the year. We see on Facebook all the good stuff that people are doing and getting and we get depressed because of what we are doing or getting. Craig says, “Envy isn’t just unhealthy. In God’s eyes, it’s downright sinful. We need to kill our comparisons, because comparing ourselves with others is not wise.”

So how do we kill it? He says, “When you see someone else being blessed in a way that you hope to be blessed, celebrating with them can purify the intentions of your heart. Did someone else get the job you wanted? Try this prayer: ‘God, you must have had a reason to bless them. Thank you, Father, for your blessings in that person’s life.’ When you see someone else get that thing you’ve always wanted, try thanking God instead of wallowing in jealousy: ‘God, thank you so much that your hand of blessing is on them. Please continue blessing them.’ Celebration sends a kill shot right to the heart of envy.”

He goes on, “I wrote this book during a very busy season in my life. I was really looking forward to the next opportunity for my family to take a vacation, and I started seeing pictures online from a couple I know who were traveling overseas. Dublin, Ireland. Edinburgh, Scotland. Topped off by snowmobiling. Across a glacier. In Iceland. And this was all on the same trip! ‘Thank you, Father, that they’re having such a great time,’ I prayed. ‘This trip is such a big blessing to them.’”

And then he said something that we need to put up on our refrigerator door especially during this season of the year. He said, “Suffocate the flames of envy with a blanket of gratitude.”

That is really good stuff.

Isn’t it?

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