You can avoid envy in simple ways

Knowing how to avoid envy is good for the wellness of your soul and you can avoid envy in simple ways.

A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones.

Proverbs 14:30

Admiration or jealousy: the difference

Yes! All your age mates are successful; either maritally, financially, academically, spiritually or otherwise. What do you do with this awareness? How do you feel when everyone around you seems to be “making it”? How do you feel when you see people who appear more successful than you are? Do you envy them, admire them, or you are simply jealous of them?

Admiration could depict an honest feeling of appreciation of taste while jealousy can be used to describe a feeling you have when you are afraid of someone taking what is rightfully yours. Jealousy leads you to being overly protective or possessive as the case may warrant.

What is Envy?

Envy is a feeling of discontentment or resentful longing aroused by someone else’s possessions, qualities, or luck. It is also feeling bitter about or wanting what someone else already has which you desire. Envy, according to Socrates, is the ulcer of the soul.

In a world where success is measured basically by professional achievements and material wealth, it becomes easy to feel anger and sadness at other people’s seemingly good fortune. To checkmate yourself or deal with envy, doing the following would help.

1. You can avoid envy by judging all things spiritually.

Learn and ensure to always judge things spiritually, successes inclusive. When you see things from the eyes of the spirit, you realize that what looks like success might just be another distraction from a path of destiny. With God, we can be sure that His thoughts and ways are higher than ours and His wisdom will be foolishness to us if we do not understand things of the Spirit. With the gift of discernment through the Holy Spirit, we can be sure to also know what success truly is. That way, you can avoid unnecessary envy and strife.

2. You can avoid envy by being brutally honest about your feelings

Though envy can go unspoken for years, brooding quietly, you cannot feel envious and not know it. You cannot feel envious and hide it or pretend about it. Envy is a feeling that does not hide; it expresses itself just like every other emotion and even more. As much as you can know when you love someone, you can also know when envy sets in. in such cases, honesty becomes a weapon. Take it truthfully to your accountability partner who for me, is the Holy Spirit. Don’t ignore it, take it to God in prayers.

3. Loving genuinely and avoiding comparisons will help you to overcome envy

Another good shot at overcoming envy is by the word of God which I love to call the Word of Love. Love is the best remedy to envy and true love can only thrive with the presence of the Holy Spirit. You tend to loose love for people when you are envious as it pollutes your perception and makes you also lose trust in people. This then fuels misconduct as it always makes you paranoid thereby putting you on the defensive side.

You also tend not to love yourself as you become prone to comparing yourself to others. According to Theodore Roosevelt, comparison is the thief of joy. Each person is apportioned gifts by God in His infinite wisdom like with the parable of the talents. Find your gift and concentrate on it not someone else’s. Love truly and avoid comparison.

Why avoid Envy?

Unfortunately, envy does nothing to your victim! You seem to be in a “self-destructing fight”! No opponent! It makes you do unimaginable things, bringing out the height of hatred within your heart.
Do the analysis yourself. Why waste your precious time envying when you could invest passion and strength in other quality engagements that gives glory to God and adds eternal value to you. God does not want you to go through the stress of envying and strife. It is absolutely unnecessary.