Hello Greatness,

Wow!!!!!! It’s been a beautiful couple of weeks, what with the different writers bringing their perspectives to the different sins. I was a little concerned about it because I thought it’d be waaaay too different from the norm (I’ve got to confess, I’m not the biggest fan of change). However, whenever I go to the comment section, I’m always pleased with the response. Today is the final day in the series that we are dealing with. Thank you all for the love.

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When we take a peek out our windows, the most dominant color we see is green. We see it so
much that we have now gotten accustomed to the fact that the color green will be in 90 percent of our selfies, so long as it’s taken outside. I hope I haven’t lost you yet, I’ve got a point to make. Seeing green outside is one thing, seeing it in the eyes and deceitful smile of your siblings is another. Ask Joseph, he understood this concept oh so well.
Joseph just couldn’t wrap his mind around the fact that his brothers hated him to the point of
them contemplating his death. See, what most people do not understand is the fact that favor
isn’t fair. Was Joseph favored above his brothers? Absolutely! There is no debate about that.
Old Israel and Rachel were given a miracle child because God needed to fulfill His word. The
downside of jealousy is the envier’s ignorance. There is a silent cry in the heart of the person
being envied every-time saying “If you only know my story, you won’t be jealous of my
glory“.

Okay fine, let’s take it from the top by understanding what envy truly is. Envy is the desire for
others’ traits, status, abilities, or situation. Have some of us ever wondered why so many people, even us ourselves harbor envy?. Perhaps it’s because we see other people as being so much luckier, smarter, more attractive, and better than us.
Would you like to know the truth? Sometimes some of those “why’s” are accurate. There is
always someone more this, or more that than you. But remember also that you are also “more
this and more that” than other people. The Bible says the following in Proverbs 14:30, “A sound heart is life to the body, But envy is rottenness to the bones.” About a week and a half ago I bought a container of strawberries. Just yesterday when I checked in the fridge, almost all of them were rotten with a not so sweet smell��. Now imagine the rotten smell envy wraps us in when we create vacancy for it in within us.

When envy takes residence in us, there are consequences. Samples of such are found in the
bible and real life too. We’ll get to the real life samples soon. When Abel’s sacrifice was
respected by God, and Cain’s was not, Cain killed his brother out of envy. (Genesis 4:3-8) When Korah was envious of Moses, he was swallowed up by the earth. (Numbers 16) When Saul let
envy of David enter his heart, the end result was that he was killed in battle. (1 Samuel 18) Even Jesus was killed by the religious leaders of the day out of envy.

Story, Story,…. (You respond): STORY!!
Once when I was in the third grade I had a best friend named Alberta Gulama. We were
inseparable. Everywhere I went, she was, and vice versa. Summer holiday ended and we
resumed back to school. On the first day of school, we noticed the principal’s daughter came back to town from America. She was fair in complexion, had long straight hair, and her shoes were sparkly and prettier than mine. The irony in this situation wasn’t all the things I described the principal’s daughter to be, rather I was envious of her because she caught the attention of my best friend Alberta. Lets just say, I wasn’t up for sharing my best friend!. I allowed envy to seep its way through my heart so much so it had a negative effect on my character. I created a whole room for it and I didn’t know how to show it to the nearest exit. Fact was, the new girl had a lot in common with Alberta and I. It was very much possible for all three of us to be friends. Yet all that time, I wasted it wearing that hideous shade of green when I could have enjoyed my last few years with Alberta. It didn’t take another year, I traveled out of the country with my siblings. Very sad, I know.

As I sit back and think of Joseph’s brothers, they too could have spent their young adult life
creating lasting memories with their baby brother. Their envy and decision to sell Joseph didn’t
dim Joseph’s light or cause his dreams to be shattered. When we begin to see ourselves the
way God sees us and start walking in our own calling and purpose, we will be less susceptible
to harbor envy within us.

HOW CAN WE ESCAPE ENVY?
In 1 Corinthians 10:3, Bible tells us Jesus conquered all sin. He was tempted, yet he was without none. And just so we don’t forget, there is a throne of grace we can go to BOLDLY so we can obtain mercy and find grace (enablement from the Holy Spirit). Heb 2:18/ Heb 4:15-16. It’s okay to be transparent with God and share those feelings and thoughts you want no one knowing about. His strength is made perfect in our weakness remember? (2 Corinthians 12:9)
So next time you get little thoughts such as “it’s not fair”, “why not me?”, “why don’t they recognize me?”. Simply place those thoughts under subjection and put them where they belong. Nail them back to the cross. You’re no longer a slave to sin. Declare your blessings, that you are loved and that you are enough!
One last thing… envy green is totally not your color. Check out the other colors of the
rainbow��

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Miatta Sandy is a Christian lady who passionately pursues a relationship with God. She is the co-founder of JustStandInc., a non-profit organization for women. You can connect with her here:

Youtube Channel: Unrivaled Miatta

Instagram: unrivaled_miatta

Online store: Her Secret Place

Thanks for reading!!

With exceeding love,

Mz_Ola.