Jealousy - How to Know When Jealousy Has Overtaken Your Life
Jealousy is listed in the Bible as "an intense interest for another's honor or prosperity (Ps.
79:5; 1 Cor.
10:22; Zech.
1:14); and suspicion of a wife's purity, one of the strongest passions (Num.
5:14; Prov.
6:34; Cant.
8:6)".
Jealousy has been around since the beginning of time starting with Cain and Abel.
It is an intense emotion that can consume your whole life and if you let it, destroy your life and everything in it.
People get jealous over the littlest things.
They can get jealous over someone else's possessions, their job, their family, etc.
We all know that in the Bible this kind of jealousy is actually referred to as coveting per the Ten Commandments.
If we know it's wrong to covet then why do we do it? Is it inbred? Is it taught? How is it that jealousy comes into our lives and seems to stay there the whole time we are alive? Well, no one may have all the answers to those questions; they have determined what is socially acceptable and what is completely overboard in the jealousy arena.
Socially acceptable jealousy is described as envying someone else's salary, performance or possessions but not to the point that it consumes your emotions and stops all your other activities or thoughts.
If acted upon to increase your own standard of living by striving to obtain the same results as the person you envy, that is considered acceptable.
If your own life is enhanced by your actions, that is acceptable in society's eyes.
Overboard jealousy has ruined lives.
It starts with a little thought which is socially acceptable.
Then it turns into an obsession to have what that other person has.
Finally it turns into a pain that is vicious..
You put your own life on hold without even knowing it.
Without recognizing the affects of the jealousy, your life spirals out of control.
Then you experience the loss of friends, alienate family members, and even lose jobs all because of your thoughts and actions.
Whatever the cause of the jealous emotion, keep these three things in mind when dealing with jealousy.
1.
Recognize the emotion for what it is.
Why are you envious or jealous of that person? What do they have that you don't? 2.
Deal with the emotion with a rational head.
If you are jealous of a person because of their status, then ask yourself what it would take to obtain that status or something similar? If you are jealous because of the attention another person is getting, what would it take for you to get similar attention? Do you even want that kind of attention? See the situation for what it really is and not through "rose colored glasses".
3.
Finally, if you can't seem to shake that feeling of jealousy, write down what exactly you are jealous about and, if it's worthy, make it a goal in your life.
Can you afford to obtain that goal either financially or emotionally? Will you hurt anyone else's feelings or lives by obtaining that goal? Is it really worth the sacrifices? There is nothing wrong with striving to make your life better but make sure it's within reason.
79:5; 1 Cor.
10:22; Zech.
1:14); and suspicion of a wife's purity, one of the strongest passions (Num.
5:14; Prov.
6:34; Cant.
8:6)".
Jealousy has been around since the beginning of time starting with Cain and Abel.
It is an intense emotion that can consume your whole life and if you let it, destroy your life and everything in it.
People get jealous over the littlest things.
They can get jealous over someone else's possessions, their job, their family, etc.
We all know that in the Bible this kind of jealousy is actually referred to as coveting per the Ten Commandments.
If we know it's wrong to covet then why do we do it? Is it inbred? Is it taught? How is it that jealousy comes into our lives and seems to stay there the whole time we are alive? Well, no one may have all the answers to those questions; they have determined what is socially acceptable and what is completely overboard in the jealousy arena.
Socially acceptable jealousy is described as envying someone else's salary, performance or possessions but not to the point that it consumes your emotions and stops all your other activities or thoughts.
If acted upon to increase your own standard of living by striving to obtain the same results as the person you envy, that is considered acceptable.
If your own life is enhanced by your actions, that is acceptable in society's eyes.
Overboard jealousy has ruined lives.
It starts with a little thought which is socially acceptable.
Then it turns into an obsession to have what that other person has.
Finally it turns into a pain that is vicious..
You put your own life on hold without even knowing it.
Without recognizing the affects of the jealousy, your life spirals out of control.
Then you experience the loss of friends, alienate family members, and even lose jobs all because of your thoughts and actions.
Whatever the cause of the jealous emotion, keep these three things in mind when dealing with jealousy.
1.
Recognize the emotion for what it is.
Why are you envious or jealous of that person? What do they have that you don't? 2.
Deal with the emotion with a rational head.
If you are jealous of a person because of their status, then ask yourself what it would take to obtain that status or something similar? If you are jealous because of the attention another person is getting, what would it take for you to get similar attention? Do you even want that kind of attention? See the situation for what it really is and not through "rose colored glasses".
3.
Finally, if you can't seem to shake that feeling of jealousy, write down what exactly you are jealous about and, if it's worthy, make it a goal in your life.
Can you afford to obtain that goal either financially or emotionally? Will you hurt anyone else's feelings or lives by obtaining that goal? Is it really worth the sacrifices? There is nothing wrong with striving to make your life better but make sure it's within reason.
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