Envy.

I may not be bilingual, but I caught the “envidia” part pretty quickly. “Todos envidian el exito de otros…” As I continued to listen to the Spanish talk station, the entire segment was on envidia.

Envy.

It is a word we can all relate to in any language, at any age, for so many reasons. No one could honestly say they’ve never experienced the pangs of envy, coveting, and jealousy upon seeing the success or advantages of others.

Envy is not only found in the desire for material possessions, but in things like intelligence, physical beauty and appearance, status, jobs, families…everywhere.

So, what was an activity to improve my Spanish soon became a tool for self-reflection and realization of a sin often overlooked. I considered how often I envy others, covet their things or status, and my findings were sad. It would seem that envy and jealousy is an every.day.struggle for me.

I think most often envy truly stems from discontentment, and from comparing ourselves to others. Think about it: rarely do we envy unless we are discontent with our own situations.

Speaking to the women especially, the amount we compare ourselves to others is staggering. It’s a constant battle of “she’s thinner” and “she’s prettier.”

We can counteract envy by setting our eyes on what is truly to be valued. What value does a successful career or a million-dollar home have in eternity? If you died tomorrow, will you have spent more time furthering the Kingdom, or furthering your status, your bank account, your wardrobe, your botox, or anything else to keep up with the world’s standards?

I say these things knowing some of you are, like me, hearing this loud and clear.

For now, let us try to let go of the envidia by valuing things not found in this world and keeping an eternal mindset.