"I do not see envying others as a problem. Though I'm jealous of Xiaoming's stronger body, David's better athletic ability and Albert's higher IQ, these feelings drive me to push forward. Then what's the problem?"
Jealousy is a dangerous emotion and people do many terrible things out of envy, states Dr. Chen Hanzu from Malaysian Bible Seminary. Citing the story of Cain and Abel, the scholar claims in one of his video series on Christian faith that jealousy must be killed for "envy rots the bones" (Proverbs 14:30).
Jealous people can't appreciate themselves and lose gratitude. "It is very foolish to look at what we don't have and compare it to others." What's worse, the nature of envy is inferiority, which causes us to refuse God's creation for us.
He speaks, "Every one of us is wonderfully created by God and unique. In God's eyes, each of us is His most special and precious one. So we don't need to be like others. We only need to be ourselves, admiring ourselves and accepting God's creation for us."
What is the difference between humility and inferiority?
Chen quoted a saying from a pastor, "People consider others better than themselves in humility; but, people with low self-esteem regard themselves worse than others. Humble men focus on others and appreciate others, while the self-contemptuous put focus on themselves and believe that they are inferior to others."
Why do we envy others?
He believes that the reason we envy others lies in the fact we care too much about others' comments to the extent that we ignore the good plans God has for our life. Therefore, it is important to value what God views us and whether we complete the good plans He has for our life rather than focus on what others think about us.
Then how should we overcome jealousy and comparison?
He says that we should have thankful hearts. Quoting the words of a pastor, Chen said "If a Christian spends some time and give thanks to God for ten things everyday, he or she will be much happier."
Translated by Karen Luo
