Devotional: Learning To Be Content

It's easy to fall into envy. We look at what someone else has and immediately turn green. Yes, green. Green with envy, isn't that how the saying goes? In envy, we may wish we were them or had that thing we think we're lacking. Whatever it is, it causes unsatisfaction in our lives. The other problem with it, is that if we allow envy to grow within our hearts, it'll only get worse. We'll soon be envious of everything. And we won't be able to distinguish our own blessings apart from everyone else's. It can really get that bad in our hearts.

I've fallen into the pit of envy myself. It mainly had to do with when I wasn't doing well. I was distraught and immediately would feel envy when I saw someone doing great. But I soon realized that just because a person looks like they have it all, doesn't mean they don't struggle. Sure. They might be doing well on social media, but that's hardly ever realistic. We usually want to post our best, don't we? We don't want people to see us suffering. We want to put up a good image of ourselves. And I get that. I've done the same thing.

Once I learned that envy only eats away peace, tranquility, and contentment, I learned to let it go. I plucked that green, messy stuff from my heart and gave it to God. I might not be exactly where I want to be, and I wish things were a little different, but I'm content right now. And it's okay to hope for things to be nice in our lives, but we can't allow envy to grow, too. I've since found that contentment comes from accepting the way our lives are. I know that God has placed me on this path for a reason, and I'm going to trust Him.

There have been many verses tied to our health from the Bible, and I found Proverbs 14:30 to be interesting. It's been studied that "a joyful heart" (Proverbs 17:22) does truly affect the body. So, when you're thinking about envy, just remember that it can rot your bones (Proverbs 14:30). Yuck. I don't know about you, but I certainly don't want my bones to rot. If you can, like I'm trying to, put envy aside. You don't need it to impact your health for the worse. Just remember that tranquility is the answer, and you'll be on the right path.

Learn to be content with what you have.

"A tranquil heart gives life to the flesh, but envy makes the bones rot." - Proverbs 14:30 ESV

Do you need prayer? Leave a comment, and I'll pray for you.

Many blessings,
- Grace Thorson