Oh, Envy
A few Sundays ago, the Doonesbury comic featured Joanie, a Boomer like many of us, and Alex, a youngster like some of you, discussing social media. The oldster was asking which platform she might join. The 20-something describes the options,
You join Facebook to get misinformed and angry, but Instagram is all about envy. TikTok is about showing off, and Twitter is for snark and self-promotion.
You gotta admit that this is pretty spot on. The new Wild West that is social media offers a mostly unregulated field of play for anyone to wave a flag. Alex's assessment of the several options shows the darker side of the bunch, and each one can play into our insecurities and biases. Take Instagram. Alex concludes that it is "all about envy." An overstatement for the sake of the point, but envy surely crops up as a result of time spent there. Curated images of perfect families on ideal vacations eating sumptuous meals have a viewer longing for something other than they experience. Envy is a powerful motor that can drive us right off a cliff of comparison and discontent.
Psalm 73 deals with this very thing. The songwriter begins with a proverb much like "God is good all the time," but then dives into his reality. Take a listen.
Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart. But as for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold. For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. They have no struggles; their bodies are healthy and strong. They are free from the burdens common to people....This is what the wicked are like - always carefree, they increase in wealth.
Envy crowds every generation. It seems human nature to ask, "Why, God, is life so hard for us and so easy for them?" He goes on with this thought:
Surely in vain have I kept my heart pure; in vain have I washed my hands in innocence. All day long I have been plagued; I have been punished every morning.
Asaph looks over the landscape of his life and concludes that faithfulness fails, when it comes to an easy life. He says, in essence, "I believe that bye and bye there will be pie in the sky, but how about some ham where I am." For us, we see this kind of injustice, where those who shave points and make deals seem to skate along without troubles, and where the rest of us don't escape hardship. Envy pops up and crooks a finger for us to follow from observation to discouragement to walking away.
I love the reality of scripture in spots like this. Asaph is singing what any of us feel when our life comes up short, and when, as we do all the faith things we know to do, don't seem to make a difference. As you reread this song you can see him processing his emotions. Listen to Asaph walk through his mess.
When I tried to understand all this, it was oppressive to me until I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood their final destiny. Surely you place them on slippery ground....When my heart was grieved and my spirit embittered, I was senseless and ignorant; I was a beast before you. Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory. Whom have I in heaven but you? And being with you, I desire nothing on earth....But as for me, it is good to be near God.
His situation hasn't changed, but his mind and heart have. Follow Asaph's train of thought.
His burden lifted soon after getting time with God for another perspective.
Those he envied have all their eggs in this world's basket and in spite of looking all together, they are just as fragile as anyone.
He then realizes how foolish he is when envying others when his real treasure is life in God:
A Father, who holds your right hand.
The Holy Spirit, who has you on a journey like no other.
Jesus, who sets his name as your promise for eternity in glory.
God, our only hope here and there.
He (and so can we) ends with it is enough to know these truths, even when it looks like we are missing out.
Let's keep pressing to be better folks who live our lives without looking over yonder to what we don't have with...envy. Contentment in what we have and a work ethic to improve our lot in life is never a bad place to land. And maybe, just maybe, look at your own social media intake and see if a diet is in order.
Music for the week goes like this
And a groaner...about a family of balloons
There was Daddy Balloon, Mummy Balloon and little Baby Balloon. Every night Baby Balloon would sleep snugly between Mummy and Daddy Balloon until, one night, Daddy Balloon said to Baby Balloon…
“Now son, we want to be proud of you, you’re growing up and it’s about time you slept all night in your own bed…will you do that for us?”
Baby Balloon sniffled and cried a little but agreed and so Daddy Balloon took Baby Balloon to his little bed and tucked him up for the night…
Once again Daddy Balloon said…
“Both Mummy Balloon and I want to be proud of you…so please stay in your own bed until morning”
Daddy Balloon goes back to bed…but just one hour later…Baby Balloon climbs out of his bed and tries to squeeze into Mummy and Daddy Balloon’s bed…but, try as he might, he can’t get in…so he takes Daddy Balloon’s nozzle and let’s some air out…but he still can’t squeeze in…so he goes around to Mummy Balloon’s side of the bed, takes her nozzle and let’s some of her air out…he STILL can’t quite squeeze in…SO…Baby Balloon takes his own nozzle and lets some of his own air out…and…AT LAST he manages to squeeze in and nestle down between Mummy and Daddy Balloon.
When they all wake up in the morning…Daddy Balloon sees Baby Balloon and becomes rather angry…he says…
“Look Baby Balloon…I asked you to stay in your OWN bed all night so we could be proud of you and here you are back in OUR bed!!”
Baby Balloon says: “Sorry Daddy”
then Daddy Balloon says…
“It’s just NOT good enough son…
…You’ve let ME down
….You’ve let your MOTHER down
…but MOST of all…you’ve let YOURSELF down”
