Pretty clever title, don’t you think? Love does not envy or boast. I have to spice things up a bit because this other blogger I’m fortunate to be meeting amazing writers these days. is getting way more traffic to her blog, which is so unfair since my content has that certain je ne sais quoi few others have. I’m inspired by their quiet humility, I did, after all, win that 7th Grade poetry context and if you wait a moment I’ll show you the trophy which comes across as genuine love, as if they are equally pleased when others succeed as when they do.
What if Jesus were known for his boasting and envy?
“You liked that miracle? Check out my ratings–all 5 star reviews! Tell your friends to hurry–signs and wonders are half-off all week!” “Pilate, do you have any idea what my father does for a living? When’s the last time you turned water into wine?” “Peter, be honest, what does John the Baptist have that I don’t? Why do the crowds love him?”
What if? A major love-fail, the death of our one hope. We didn’t need more of the same, we needed humble love, with not envy, but goodwill to all people as its aim.
Thomas à Kempis on the subject:
Take glory neither in money, if you have some, nor in influential friends, but in God who gives you everything and above all wants to give you himself.
Avoid boasting about the size or beauty of your body, which a little illness can disfigure or destroy.
Have no pride in your native wit and talent; that would displease God who gave you every good thing that you naturally possess.
Reject the thought that you are better than anyone else. If you think such haughty thoughts, God (who knows what is in you) will consider you worst than they.
Pride about our good deeds is pointless. God has his own ideas regarding what is good and he does not always agree with us. If there is something good about you, believe better things of others.
This will keep you humble.
It will not hurt you at all to consider yourself less righteous than others, but it will be disastrous for you to consider yourself better than even one person.
The humble are always at peace; the proud are often envious and angry.
~From The Imitation of Christ
How would an envy-and-boast-free diet change your life?
This is post four of our Lent To Love: A Return to the Source series on 1 Corinthians 13. Join us on the journey to Easter!
Photograph by Melanie Hunt
16 replies on “Today’s Special: Creamed Envy On Boast”
I have been dealing with this very thing all week long. God is gently (but persistently) sending me a message.
Gentle persistence–sounds like God!
Yeah, well I could have written this…I was just so…busy.
; > )
And you could have written it better! 😉
“…God has his own ideas…and he does not always agree with us.” Indeed.
Yes, that phrase caught in my throat too!
This is of course the complete opposite of the way the world operates. If your humble, your pathetic and weak. The bottom line is, who do you want acceptance from? To know your position in Christ and His love is the foundation to freedom from pride, envy and boasting. Our lives could be changed and freed from envy when we realize the grace and mercy God has shown us.
Dawn, “Our lives could be changed and freed…” So true!
My “godly” conscience tells me to say something nice about this post: Janet, this was a timely post that hit the nail on the head. Thanks for the reminder!
My “not-so-godly and not-so-humble” inner child is raging: It’s not fair that Janet is able to be so consistent and deep in her posts – waa, waa, waa – look at me, look at me, look at me!
Okay, got that out of my system. Thanks for sharing your inner child in the opening paragraph, it freed me up to get real, too! May we all look more like Christ and less like selfish children.
Thank you, Linda, for the laugh! I love your inner child in all her authenticity!
I’m imesrsepd you should think of something like that
Awesome, Janet, awesome. What a great way to present this .
And I’m guessing it would not be a good idea for me to say that I wish I could write like you….? I wouldn’t want you to think today’s entry was lost on me. : )
Thank you, Melanie. I wish I could photograph like you do!
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I love the way you start the post! Very effective.
Thanks, Marilyn. It’s what my brain looks like most of the time!