Well, this isn’t a story about 80s music or an essay on why Patrick Swayze was a beast on the dance floor. I think it is something with a little more substance.
The “hungry eyes” that I refer to here are the ones that, for lack of a better term, covet other’s lives. Whether it be their clothes, homes, vehicles or any other thing of worth, these “hungry eyes” translate into the perverbial green-eyed monster in one’s life.
I guess it has been subliminally placed in our minds that if we aren’t “keeping up with the Joneses” then we have to want what they have and must do whatever it is to get us there.
We live in a society today where that mindset has become commonplace and I guess somewhat accepted. But why? Why do we feel the need to get jealous of what others have? It doesn’t solve what we feel is our problem, yet it persists.
Now I’m not saying that we shouldn’t want to be better and have nice things. In fact, your motivation should be to become a better you. I’m just saying the constant comparisons to other people is tiring and not healthy.
Generally, when I see these kind of things happening, I turn to the Word to see what God says about it. There are numerous verses that talk about covetness and jealousy, but this one really hit me. James 3:14-16 says:
“But if you are bitterly jealous and there is selfish ambition in your heart, don’t cover up the truth with boasting and lying. For jealousy and selfishness are not God’s kind of wisdom. Such things are earthly, unspiritual, and demonic. For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and evil of every kind.”
This way of living tears you up and it makes you look like, well…a jerk.
So how do you fix it? How do you recondition yourself to not think this way? Again, go to the Word. In Philippians 4:11-13, Paul says that he has learned to be content with what he has because of the strength that God has given him.
“Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.”
The biggest key is to humble yourself in the Lord. Remind yourself that God’s got you. He takes care of the sparrows and puts detail into flowers that are never even seen. So don’t you think he’s gonna take care of you and yours?
So chill out on eyeballing and wanting the things of others. Feed those “hungry eyes” with the Word and be happy with what you have been given stewardship of.
Insights? Comments? Leave them below! Don’t get jelly and y’all be safe out there.
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