Social media hasn’t created any new sinful behaviors, but it has helped accelerate some old ones. People tend to post their best moments online. Happy days, celebrations, new cars and houses, the accomplishments of their children, or promotions. As we scroll through it is tempting to think that everyone else enjoys a better life than we do.
In this subtle way, envy and jealousy can creep into our souls, almost without detection. There are three things we should know about envy:
- It’s easy to hide. Unlike some other sins we don’t see much external evidence of it.
- Like greed, it’s hard to satisfy. Once you begin to think that you are ‘missing out’ on what others have, it begins to color your world.
- Your attitude towards others begins to change and you no longer have their best interests at heart.
Our Christian life requires us to regularly examine our hearts to see if there are any sins lurking there. Envy and jealousy can be overlooked at times because we don’t always understand the danger they can pose. One way to test things is to notice whether or not our heart is at peace.
A heart at peace gives life to the body,
but envy rots the bones. Proverbs 14:30
It’s hard to have that kind of heart peace if we are chasing after what others have. If we can’t rejoice with those who rejoice, it might be a warning light in our soul. Like any other sin, we need to bring it to Jesus and confess it. Bringing it into the light, being aware of the problem helps to weaken its power. Then we can get on with enjoying all the good gifts God has given us.