Daily Thought for St. Patrick's Day, Thursday, March 17th

March 17, 2011

Green With Envy

Today’s Thought:

“As rust corrupts iron, so envy corrupts man.”– Greek Proverb

Today’s Question

Did you know that, “Envy… is one form of a vice, partly moral, partly intellectual, which consists in seeing things never in themselves but only in their relations?” –  Bertrand Russell (from The Conquest of Happiness)

Today’s Spiritual Thought:

“Anybody can sympathize with the sufferings of a friend, but it requires a very fine nature to sympathize with a friend’s success”

– Oscar Wilde

Envy, according to Nathaniel Webster is, “A feeling of discontent and ill will because of another’s advantages or possessions.”  He goes on to call it “resentment leading to malice.”

Envy from God’s perspective is the desiring to have something belonging to another without regards of that persons well being. He calls it covetousness.  In short it is wanting to have what they have even if it mans taking it away from them.  That must be why Shakespeare called envy, “A green-eyed monster.”

“To withstand the assaults of envy, you must be either a hero or a saint.” – Publius Syrus (from Moral Sayings)

And as we are all sinners; none saints, but by grace and blood, and few are real hero’s: envy is a vice and sin with which the vast majority of us must deal with, overcome and conquer.  Some are affected by envy less severely than others and there are many ways to be affected.  Some only wish they could have the opportunities that someone else has, or the recognition; it is not always about possessions, but it can be.

Cervantes in Don Quixote wrote, “Envy we must overcome by generosity and nobleness of soul.”

Since few are noble and many are weak, to truly overcome envy we must turn to God for help; we need to apply His words and seek His wisdom, by allowing Him to employ His power to enable us to be over-comers and conquerors in this life.

There is a Latin saying that states, “Virtue conquers envy.”  True virtue for a Christian is to love God, and love others.  Remember love covers a multitude of sin and if we really love someone the way that God wants us too; it will be difficult for us to be envious of them.

Today’s Verses:

Woe to them that devise iniquity, and work evil upon their beds! when the morning is light, they practise it, because it is in the power of their hand. And they covet fields, and take them by violence; and houses, and take them away: so they oppress a man and his house, even a man and his heritage.

Micah 2:1-2

Woe to him that coveteth an evil covetousness to his house, that he may set his nest on high, that he may be delivered from the power of evil! Thou hast consulted shame to thy house by cutting off many people, and hast sinned against thy soul.

                               Habakkuk 2:9-10

And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.

                        Luke 12:15

Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's.

                        Exodus 20:17

Today’s Prayer:

Father, I know you know what I have need of; so help me to be content with what you give me and also help me to rejoice over what you give others because you know what they need too.