| |
| |
|
Just Between Us - FREE Spiritual Information for anyone interested. |
|
|
|
Mankinds Ten Worst Enemies: #3 Jealousy
Though closely akin and sometimes used synonymously, John Rawls distinguish between jealousy and envy on the ground that jealousy involves the wish to keep what one has, and envy the wish to get what one does not have. Christine Harris, American Scientist Magazine, makes the claim that "Of the human emotions, jealousy is one of the most powerful and painful. And it is deadly: Statistical studies rank jealousy as the third most common motive for murder." Certainly, it was for Abel, Cain's brother. If we meditate upon Cain to try and understand the reason for his digressing to murder, we come to realize that it is the same old tendency we have to look outside ourselves for the cause of our shortcomings. Abel's offering was accepted by God but Cain's was not. In his mind, Abel was accepted and he was rejected and thus, jealousy emerged in response to his distorted perception that he had lost his place with God. Of course, we know that God rejected his offering and not the person, but Cain concocted in his own mind, that God disowned him. It is interesting to note that Cain did not make any inquiries regarding the reason for his offering being rejected. He did not make any offers to rectify the situation. He offers no apology and makes no excuses. Why, because he is not interested in the problem of his offering. He just flies into a jealous rage and kills Abel. There are many Cains committing murderous crimes against their brothers and sisters today. Domestic violence continues to escalate because of disordered thinking. We blatantly refuse to face up to our own imperfections, our own weaknesses, our own failings and disabilities. And so, like Cain we substitute truth and self-admonition for falsehoods and other condemnation. We perceive ourselves as unacceptable. We lack the talent or gifts God did not give to us but did give to our brother or sister. We become jealous of the Abels. The Abels seem to be winners; things seem to work out for them, everything they touch turns to gold. The Abels are successful and bright. Success seems to come naturally to them and others gravitate towards them. They seem to be God's favorites and because of their acceptance, the Cains, succumbing to jealousy and envy, devise their psychological hit list. The Abels must go. Jealousy in this context is the mental and emotional wrestling with the abilities of other people, the capabilities of other people; and the adoration, the affection given to those people from others. Those two nemeses hang out like bosom buddies side by side and when they put their ugly heads together, stir up the jealousy that builds into a kind of hatred that lead ultimately to murder. It is incumbent upon all of us to acknowledge and accept the gifts God has given us. God has equipped us with everything we need to accomplish His will for our lives. If he did not give us certain talents, we do not need them to perform the job He has assigned to us. We need to stop looking at other people and what they can do and look at God and what we can do in His power. Jealous can be a lethal passion. It magnifies trifles and increases doubt and suspicion. "Jealousy is cruel as the grave: the coals thereof are coals of fire, which hath a most vehement flame." Song of Solomon 8:6. The Psalmist asked, "Anger is cruel and fury overwhelming, but who can stand before jealousy?" Proverbs 27:4. There is a fable that tells of a time when the Devil once was crossing the Libyan Desert and met a group of friends tempting a holy hermit. They tried seductions of the flesh, used doubts and fears and so forth, to no avail. The holy man was unmoved. The Devil then stepped forward: Your methods are too crude. Permit me one moment." Going to the hermit, he said, "Have you heard the news? Your brother has been made the Bishop of Alexandria." According to the fable, a scowl of malignant jealousy clouded the serene face of the holy man. Never lose sight of the fact that, "You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world." 1 John 4:4. We pray that God strengthen us against the power of jealousy. Let us so love the Lord with all of our hearts, souls and minds that no unholy emotion subdues the Spirit within. Rev. Saundra L. Washington, D.D., is an ordained clergywoman, veteran social worker, and Founder of AMEN Ministries. She is also the author of two coffee table books: Room Beneath the Snow: Poems that Preach and Negative Disturbances: Homilies that Teach which can be reviewed on her site. Her new book, Out of Deep Waters: My Grief Management Workbook, is expected to be available soon. You are welcome to visit AMEN Ministries: Your Soul's Service Station for reviewing spiritual services being offered, obtain spiritual refreshing and soul edification, browse our newly expanded Stop & Shop Mini Mall or review our recommended books you may want to add to your personal library. Blessings to all!
MORE RESOURCES:
Spirituality - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Renee's Mommy is Here I still remember the scene vividly. I was getting out of my car at the baby-sitter's house and a little boy comes running out the door. Where Are You Currently Heading? Do you know where your current path is taking you?Education, religious upbringing, core family beliefs and friend's values have been shaping your life up to now. You're busy with life, work, partner, kids and socials and have little or no time to stop and think about where you're life is heading. When Bad Things Happen (Part 2) The good that Paul writes about is a commitment of life to the sovereign will of God. It is complete trust in God. Failure Is Never As Painful As Regret! "I would rather regret some of my failures in lifethan to live my life failing to forget myregrets." GRIn other words, failing at something and gettingback up is much less painful than to look back andregret not doing something (or doing something)and not being able to go back and change theoutcome. Spiritual Solution for Tensions and Anxiety Realisation and repeated memorization of the true knowledge is the only one solution for this problem. The ignorance is responsible for all the anxiety and tensions. The Fountain of Light Exercise An etheric body, also known as the aura, surrounds every human being. This energy field is thought to be made up of you're the emanations of your life force, what the Middle Eastern religions call Prana, the Chinese call Chi and the popular religions call the Soul. Unification of World Religions If anyone says that his/her religion is the only path to God and that other paths lead to hell, I have one humble question. The question is for every religion without any trace of partiality. Intuition Did you ever get a feeling or gain notion of a specific situation without any logical explanation? Well, that is your intuition. When you least expect it intuition reaches out and hits you with information that you have no idea were it came from. Drifting Like a Summer Breeze He knew it was going to happen. He wasn't really surprised. God's Presence When Troubles Come Life, no matter how we choose to look at it, is a constant battle. It is the beginning of a struggle that continues until we breathe our last breath. Clear Mind, Empty Head: A Leak In Mind Like Water There's a lot of talk in meditation circles about emptying the mind.This is a roadblock for many people. How do You Know If You Have Psychic Ability? I am sure many of you reading this article have pondered on this subject. Are some people simply born with a special gift or is this an acquired skill all of us can learn. Christianity - Not a White Mans Religion Christianity: White man's religion?Martin Luther King referred to Sunday as being "the most segregated day in America."Truer words were never spoken. The Power of Myth to Transform Your Life Irish myth has the power to transform your life into a real life of creativity and love. There are many powerful symbols that you might embrace in order to create a real sense of belonging in the world. Esoteric Sexual Secrets AN ARISTOCRATIC UPBRINGING:There are many people who write about sex slaves on the plantation and it surely did exist but it was also the norm in Europe for many centuries. The Polos were not the first who went off to get the prized Tartar women who fetched a large multiple over ordinary men slaves. Candle Burning to Petition the Male Saints Last NAN I explained how to petition the female Saints with special requests. This time around I'll provide some instruction on how to ask to be put in the cosmic care of the Male Saints . Giving From the Heart I thought for sometime that I was hard done bye with having to produce this newsletter and manage my web site with old computer equipment that was so slow that I could have cat naps between the time one program would close and another opened. This had a mixed blessing in that I could work for hours without having to stop and rest so there were some advantages to having archaic equipment. Existence of God: Facts and Figures Does God Exist? Existence of God: facts and figures Does God exist?If you are a theist.. Why Sit Here Until I Die? The bible tells a story about four men who sat at the entrance of the city's gate dying with leprosy, an incurable disease which causes terribly visible swelling and sores on the skin, only then to eat inward to the bones. Because of this contagious and incurable disease, these lepers sat outside of the city because they were not permitted to live within the city. Motivated By All The Wrong Reasons Sometimes trying to be spiritual holds us back from actually living the spiritual life we want. In our quest to live such spiritual and good lives, we often avoid the stuff that makes us seem unspiritual, even if that very stuff can move us toward our own spiritual growth.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
