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Compare and Be Square

It happened again! There I was scrolling on Facebook and “she” appeared. “She” is everywhere it seems. You probably
know her; She is the the one who is pukingly perfect. Her kids are great. Her Hubs is hot and no doubt, treats her like a Queen.
She is fit, funny and living the dream.

Oh yea, one more thing; She is like super successful at what she does. Puke and more puke.

Finally I had enough sense to put my phone down. “My word!”, I thought. “I just spent 30 minutes on Facebook? Not only
did I get nothing done, but I feel like crap now.”

Is it just me, or do you ever feel this way? You look around you and you see other people who have more, are more and just appear
happier and further along in life. Just when you think you have it all together, you see another person who is kickin butt and takin
names.

There is a name for such a phenomenon. It goes by the name, envy. The Bible refers to it as Coveting. God thinks it’s a pretty
big deal. He made it the 10th Commandment.

“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey,
or anything that belongs to your neighbor.” (Exodus 20:17 NIV)

God spoke very specifically. I believe in modern terms that could mean things like; our friends house, spouse, kids, job, car, status,
and on and on. You get the drift.

You (insert your name here) have been created uniquely and for a purpose that only you can fulfill. When you and I get caught
up in the envy game, sometimes referred to as “keeping up with the Jones’s”, we lose focus and our precious energy is then needlessly
drained. In the world we live in, I am sure you agree, we need all the energy we can muster to simply stay on our own course. Don’t
waste it on jealously, comparison and resentment. The best thing you and I can do is to get rid of those toxic thoughts. Thoughts
like those will never help us grow into our God-given potential. It will only serve to hold us hostage in a cycle of bitterness.

What do you do when the evil face of envy is staring back at you tauntingly?

1. Limit your time on social media. Let’s be real shall we. Everyone thinks they are a rock star on Facebook. I don’t
care who you are, everyone struggles.
2. Be genuinely happy for the success of other people. When you and I covet and are envious of another’s success, we
are operating out of lack mindset. Thinking that there is only so much success and happiness to go around and it someone else is tak-
ing it all up, there is none left for us. God is a God of abundance. Look around you and observe the wonder of the universe. God will
never withhold blessings from His children. He may simply be preparing you for something big. Be patient.
3. Count your many blessings. It is so easy to whine and complain about what we don’t’ have. Yet this is a defeatist
way of thinking. Those types of thoughts are toxic and will leave you feeling drained and fatigued. Rather focus on the many bless-
ings you are abundantly surrounded with.
4. Forgive yourself. Whenever I fall into the envy trap, I feel terribly guilty afterwards. I know it is wrong. I
know that type of thinking is pointless and I often am envious of people I love dearly. I truly do want them to be happy and ful-
filled and whatever it is that is causing this jealousy is my issue and it is between me and God. After I ask for God’s forgiveness, I
also have to forgive myself.

Julie Carr
Trainer | Facilitaor | Speaker | Author
M (989)325-0636 E julie@coachjuliecarr.com W
www.coachjuliecarr.com

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