How to Beat Jealousy!

Jealousy can be debilitating. For every head you chop off, it grows ten more. I think that's what they say.

It's one of the most vicious obstacles to happiness. When confronted with jealousy, we tend to feel totally helpless.

How do we fight it?

From my experience, the best way to win this particular battle is to not engage it. DO NOT ENGAGE. It's bigger and stronger and more multifaceted than we can comprehend with our human minds. So, it's one of those battles that you can't win gracefully, you have nothing to gain by fighting it and it just ends up being a big waste of time and energy.

So, how does one refuse to engage? By simply blocking entry. Recognize the entry points and BLOCK THEM. It really helps to be one step ahead of the enemy for this one. If you struggle regularly with jealousy, it would help you to be TWO or THREE steps ahead of the enemy.

You've heard his voice before. You are aware when jealousy is coming on. Probably one of the first signals is that you start to lose some of your happiness. We are weakest when miserable because "the joy of the Lord is our strength" and just the opposite is also true: "The misery of jealousy is our weakness." But, no more!

What is the cause of jealousy? Once you know the cause, you can cut it off before it starts. I cannot stress how important it is to stop the jealousy from getting your ear or your eye or your focus. Ignore it. Walk away. But, what is the cause?

COMPARING.

It's as easy as that: Stop comparing.

You should know that I have just handed you an invaluable jewel.

It's worth repeating: STOP COMPARING YOURSELF WITH OTHERS.

Ok, I admit, it's a LOT easier than it sounds. It takes practice and determination.

I remember when I learned that it's wrong to compare yourself with others. It SET ME FREE! I mean, it really changed my life. I guess I'm one of those self-doubters, unsure of myself, always wondering whether I'm good enough. (Know anyone like that?) For me, whenever I compared myself to anyone else, I ALWAYS came out on the bottom. I was always last in my own estimation.

But, even though I knew I was going to come out last, I HAD to compare myself. It was like a compulsion, or even like a duty that I felt it was necessary to perform. Or, maybe it was just a habit. Maybe I hung out with people who had that habit and I picked it up from them. Who knows?

So, when I finally realized I didn't NEED to compare myself with others, it set me free! When I discovered I was NOT obligated to compare myself with others, I was liberated.

GET IT?

Simple, but true. It must sound like the world's simplest idea, but, I believe, for  a lot of people (especially young adults and teens) you will have an easier life and a happier life if you can receive this one simple piece of advice.

Girls, you don't NEED to compare yourself! Quit comparing! Fatter, shorter, heavier, prettier, skinnier, smarter, faster -- forget these adjectives. What difference does it make? If it makes you miserable, just quit it. Nobody is forcing you to compare yourself. (Except, maybe you-know-who, right? He tries to get you comparing.)

There's the key: at the FIRST suggestion from the devil to compare yourself, don't listen. Don't obey him. He's not your boss! You don't belong to his team. You're on the winning team.

Winners don't need to compare themselves.

So, keep the victory! Maintain your attitude of joy! STAY UP! Don't compare yourself to others. Then you won't even have to deal with what follows... all that misery of "if only I were (fill in the blank)" and "she's so thin" and "he loves her more than me".

Let's not even go down that rabbit hole. STAY OUT OF RABBIT HOLES. Embrace God's joy! Be happy to be you, just the way God made you. And, don't fall into the habit of comparing yourself to others.

Hope this helps!