According to a new study, led by sociologists Hui-Tzu Grace Chou and Nicholas Edge at Utah Valley University, U.S., the more time people spend time on social networking sites, like Facebook, the stronger their belief that others are happier than them. Researchers claim that carefully chosen pictures of cheerful faces, which Facebook users tend to upload on their profiles, actually portray a debilitating message to others.
A few months ago, a young leader wrote to me asking for forgiveness. He said that he had been harbouring jealousy in his heart against me and that my Facebook pictures had caused him to feel that way towards our ministry. I was both shocked and humbled at the same time with the courage of this young leader to address his heart issue and fight this epidemic, that is common around us, called jealousy. We all may face this feeling from time to time; however, some choose not to recognize it and leave it to spread into a disease that kills with time. We must handle jealousy differently than the way the world handles it. Jealousy causes us to:
- Compare
- Compete
- Dislike
- Hate
- Fight
- Slander
- Lie
- Avoid people
- Manipulate
- Hurt
- Degrade
- Look down
- Criticise
- Not appreciate
…what more would you add here? Have you been there? Ponder. Wishing well as believers or as “good people,” we will then be tempted to run away from the individual, or in the Facebook world, cause us to “unfriend” or even delete your own account in disgust.
However, does that solve the issue? No! It only covers up your jealousy.
Instead, choose to fight this jealousy head on:
1. Each time jealousy tries to creep into your heart, make sure you appreciate the person (unlike how you would want to naturally).
2. No! Don’t close their album or hide their status. Instead, say a prayer of blessing in your heart and leave a genuine comment blessing them even further.
3. Stay away from listening to any gossip about them. Choose not to entertain hearing or speaking ill about your brother or sister.
4. Find opportunities to talk about the good you see in them.
5. See no good in them? Ask the Lord to help you see them through His gracious eyes. You will be shocked to see the good in them that was hidden from you before.
6. See evil in them? Give them the benefit of the doubt. (And remember you are not perfect either.)
7. Check your heart and locate the reason of the jealousy. Address the unhappiness. Talk about the problem or acknowledge it if that is all that can be done. Find the actual intention by digging deeper. Deal with it and guard your heart against future issues with others too.
8. If you have hurt feelings or something else about them is bothering you, write to them in their personal email or inbox (No; not on their wall. That’s cheap!)
9. Cast the spirit of jealousy out of you! Yes, do it yourself in the Name of Jesus. Get linked to the weapons of a believer.
10. Grow in the Word of God. When the Word of God becomes a part of you, sin will have no place in you!!!
Yes; this works, my friends. It has been working for me! Jesus reminds us to love our enemies and neighbours. That includes your friends and family. Let us; therefore, continue to see others through the eyes of our Father as He says, “Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.” (Phil 2:3).
Discuss: What do you think causes jealousy? How have you dealt with it? What do you struggle with the most?