Tootsie Roll™ Troubles

I was in kindergarten when envy first grabbed me.

Every day, my best friend and I opened lunch boxes with food prepared by our mothers. We each received a sandwich, veggie sticks and fruit.

All was well until Ginny’s mother began adding a Tootsie Roll™ candy to her lunch. Day after day she received a delicious chewy treat. 
Soon I grew discontent with my own lunch. My mother did not believe in giving me candy at lunchtime. I lost my happy spirit.
Generosity would have said: “Ginny gets candy every day, and I’m glad for her.” Instead I grumbled to myself, “Ginny has something I don’t have, and I need it.”
Lunchtime was spoiled for me. Envy won.
We smile at the foolishness, but we understand the feeling. The tendency to compare our lot with others never seems to disappear.
We look in others’ “lunch boxes” and find our own lives lacking. Even at advanced age, it’s easy to wish we had what others have—energy to serve, freedom from chronic pain, family close by, ample funds and living space, ease of mobility, freedom to travel.   
Envy can creep through our lives, displacing contentment with resentment. We find ourselves complaining about our circumstances in comparison with others.
How can we regain the generous spirit that looks at our neighbor and says, “God has blessed you with _________, and I am glad for you”?  
When “Tootsie Roll™ troubles” threaten to overtake me, I like to sit down for a while and listen deeply to these Scriptures:
Being satisfied with your present circumstances.
For he himself has said…I will not, I will not cease to sustain and uphold you.
I will not, I will not, I will not let you down.
So that, being of good courage, we are saying,
“The Lord is my helper. I will not fear…” Hebrews 13:5-6 Wuest
With strong emphasis, the Lord promises his constant presence.
In the Greek text of Hebrews 13:5, there are five negatives (“I will not…”). God's personalized care for us is the antidote to envy.
We can grow into genuine contentment with our life as it is, because we actively trust God’s one-on-one care for us. The Lord is fully in charge of what is in our “lunch box”—and what is not.
We can learn to live free of envious comparisons, relying steadily on the Lord’s loving attention to our own life and the lives of our neighbors.
We can live generously like Jonathan, who was glad that his best friend David would become king—even though Jonathan was the current king’s son (check out I Samuel 23:16-18). 
Envy-free lives shine brightly and reflect honor to the Lord, especially in old age.

Let’s shine on! 
                                       ©MarionSpeicherBrown

Comments

  1. LinDecember 18, 2017 at 6:43 AM

    Good morning, Marion!

    Please excuse if my previous comment to this blog post did get to you but I am not certain it went through. I'm just not very techy!

    I recently became aware of your blog after reading a meditation you had written for The Upper Room Daily Devotional. Now I need to catch up on your past postings!

    As I started reading this post, I thought to myself "This doesn't apply to me, I am not envious." But I quickly realized that is actually not true. I don't envy people their wealth or possessions. However, I see friends who have family nearby whom they interact with and receive affection from on a daily basis. We do not live near our children and grandchildren, so see them infrequently and my husband does not show affection or give me much attention. So, even though I applaud my friends for their close-knit families, I feel empty inside, regretting that I don't have the same situation. Funny, I never looked at that as a form of envy before! I did believe I was too self-centered but envy???

    Thank you for opening my eyes to a new view point. I'll add a post-it with Hebrews 13: 5-6 on it to my devotional area and read it repeatedly when these lonely moods hit, reminding myself that this scripture was focused on all circumstances, not simply physical circumstances!

    Rejoicing for new insights always!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AuburnTiderJanuary 20, 2018 at 10:14 AM

      So well written, Lin. Thank you!

      Delete
    2. Marion Speicher BrownJanuary 21, 2018 at 2:56 PM

      You're so right, Lin. Envy sneaks upon us in many forms. I'm honored that this piece spoke to your soul as you thought further on Hebrews 13:5-6. Blessings!

      Delete

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