Charity Strife - "Envieth Not"

For charity suffereth long, and is kind, and envieth not, and is not puffed up, seeketh not her own, and is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, and rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in truth, believeth all things, beareth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. 

"Envieth Not"

MTC Journal entry:

To Envieth Not - to not want to have a girlfriend (like my companion) - to not covet the knowledge and skills of another, but to be thankful for the talents and knowledge that the Lord has given me and trust that with that and faith - I can do it WITH HIM. To not despise others for being in any way better, older, stronger, faster, more knowledgeable in the scriptures, more anything, more obedient, better at speaking Spanish, etc. I guess it means to really trust the Lord that He will help me and that He does give me weaknesses so that we come to Him for help, and to trust that He knows and is aware of us - and that He has more confidence in us than we have in ourselves. That we, with Him, can go at the rate He has set. And also be thankful to Him for all that He has given us. When we envy are we thankful for our gifts or do we think of ourselves as not good enough with what we've been given of the Lord (everything we have)? When we envy, we show the Lord ungratefulness. Not good. 

I particularly love this one right now in my life because I sometimes see the lives of other people who may have chosen a different pathway or been blessed in different ways. And some part of that pathway seems better than the pathway I have chosen or been directed in. Or the blessing that they have been given seems so desirable - like the perfect solution to my problems. And as soon as I begin to think more about it, it plants the seed of ingratitude inside my heart. I have been SO blessed in my life, but when I even start to allow myself to feel envious of someone, it drains your heart of peace, love, and the Spirit. It is an emptier. Envy empties you. I believe that you have to make a choice not to envy because there will always be someone who has been blessed in different ways than you.

Person A who has been seeking employment for months looks at Person B who has never been without employment and is driving around in a nice car they bought with cash. And Person A has a wife and family to support while Person B is single. It would be easy for envy to pop into this situation. What Person A doesn't realize is that Person B could also envy Person A just as much as Person A envies them. Just as much as A says "I wish I had the job and money that B has - he must be so much more happy", B could say "I wish I had the wife and kids that A has - he must be so happy".

Or both A and B can be grateful for the hands that they have been dealt and move forward. If they do this, their lives will be so much more full (job or no job, single or married), they will be MUCH more capable of loving others and will have a more able heart. They will be filled with peace. Joseph Smith said:

"My heart is large enough for all men. I have no enmity against any man, I love you all." (Reference)

I want a heart large enough for all. And that just can't happen when you constantly compare yourself to someone else who might just be in a different stage of their mortal test than you. Envy creates enmity. Enmity damns (stops your progress). If we envy not and move forward with gratitude in our hearts, we will have peace and love for all. We will be able to stand in holy places. Literally. For with envy or unkind feelings in our heart, we cannot stand and will be invited to withdraw from that which we might have enjoyed.

We should abolish envy from our hearts. Not only will this allow us to love others more fully, and show gratitude - but it will allow us to love ourselves more fully.