Love does not envy...

1 Corinthians 13 - "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy..."

Ahh, 1 Corinthians chapter 13! The infamous "Love" chapter. The chapter in the Bible that every woman fears most, with the possible exception of Proverbs 31 (::wink::)

We read these requirements of love and think "What?! I have to be patient all the time? And KIND? And I can't be jealous of my co-worker's size 2 waist or my neighbors brand new Prada bag? This is impossible!"

Thankfully, nothing is impossible with God. =)

But I digress.

Envy is a potential problem in every person's life, man or woman, young or old. When my husband and I were dating in high school, I was jealous a lot. He was the fun, life-of-the-party guy who innocently talked to everyone, and usually remained pretty oblivious to when he accidentally crossed over into flirting-territory. I was the quiet, observant, one-on-one conversation girl who preferred staying in the background with the Diet Coke. and noticing when her man crossed that line. We had many an argument over that subject until one day, after his being "nice" and "encouraging" to a girl at youth camp ended up with her sending border-line stalking emails, he figured it out.

Again with the digressing...Oops!

Everyone gets jealous. Over love, over jobs, careers, money, material items, etc. As authors, its especially hard. We're always comparing ourselves to other authors. Who landed the most coveted agent, who received the most contracts, who had the most sales, who had the best booksigning party, etc. If we're not careful, the comparison game can consume us and we'll lose sight of why we're doing this in the first place--for God.

The green-eyed monster can pop up for anyone, anytime, anywhere. You are not immune to his slimy stickiness. Don't be fooled by his picture. The patchwork is cute and the googly eye seems harmless enough, but he's out to get you, and he has well-practiced tricks!

Next time you find that envious little monster pointing his finger in your direction, don't panic. Who ya gonna call? (no, not ghostbusters!) I'll give you a hint...His name is two paragraphs up. =)

That's right - God. The best way to beat jealousy is by praying. One sincere, heartfelt prayer and that green-eyed monster goes scooting back to where he came from. You can beat him, if you stay close to the Lord and realize your worth comes from Him, and Him alone - not from a new car, designer clothing...or even the hot new guy at church =P