They said, “Has the Lord spoken only through Moses? Hasn’t he spoken through us, too?” But the Lord heard them. Numbers 12:2 NLT
He
planned to get that trophy—he had even prayed about it.
On
the Andy Griffith episode, “A Medal for Opie,” Andy and Barney sponsored a
Sheriff’s Day boy’s race. Andy’s son, Little Opie, wasn’t the most athletic boy
in town, but he suddenly decided to win the race and get the trophy.
Deputy
Barney Fife knew a little about everything—or at least thought he did—so he
offered to help Opie train. Opie hadn’t thought about the training part, but
Barney told him that was a part of winning. Opie ran, jumped rope, and did
other things Barney told him in hopes of winning the trophy. Before he went to
bed at night, he prayed for God to help him win. And while he slept, he dreamed
of all the medals he’d win and how he’d ultimately get the trophy.
Race
day came, and Opie was ready—or so Barney said and Opie thought. Barney stood
at the starting line, pistol at the ready, and Andy positioned himself at the
finish line, timer in hand. Opie and several other boys lined up. When Barney
fired the gun, the boys took off. But Opie didn’t win. In fact, he came in
last.
As
the other boys congratulate the winner, Opie lumbers home, sits on the couch,
and sulks. Later, Andy walks in, sits beside him, and tells him they need to
discuss being a good loser. Opie was being a sore loser. Opie didn’t want to
congratulate his friends because they had stolen his medals. When Opie refuses
to change his mind about how he is acting, Andy says, “Well, I want you to
know, I’m disappointed in you.”
His
father’s words hurt, but they brought him face-to-face with a problem many of
us have: jealousy. After thinking about what his father said, Opie apologized
and walked to his office and apologized.
Aaron and Miriam had the same problem as Opie. God had chosen their brother Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egyptian slavery, through the wilderness, and into the Promised Land. Along the way, they decided to do a little jealousy-grumbling. Why should their brother get all the attention? Make all the decisions? God rewarded Miriam’s attitude with a dose of leprosy—probably because she led the jealousy coup.
I
suppose I’ve acted like Opie occasionally. Pouted because somebody outdid me in
something. Got something I thought I deserved. Seemed to get all the breaks.
Got a better job. Landed the book contract. Secured the agent.
Dad
always called jealousy the green-eyed monster. Defeating him has much to do
with trusting others. Some will try their best to outdo us in everything, maybe
even using crooked means. But believing the best about others—not seeing them
as enemies out to make our lives miserable—helps keep the green-eyed monster at
bay.
God
doesn’t create us to be good at everything. Someone somewhere will always be
better or at least get more breaks than we do. Life often is about competition,
but it shouldn’t be. God wants us to do our best. He has created us with gifts
and talents for our unique circumstances. Others may have similar gifts and
skills, but they have a different set of circumstances. Our job is to find our
niche and give God our all.
When
we put others ahead of ourselves, the jealousy monster slinks away. Jesus said
the greatest commands were to love God with our entire being and our neighbors
as ourselves. Doing that keeps jealousy from rearing its ugly head. We’ll
congratulate others for their achievements rather than lumber home, sit on our
couches, and sulk. Life will become about others, not us. And we’ll enjoy life
as God intends.
Let
God help you squash that green-eyed monster when he rears his ugly head.
Father, give me strength to seek unity so jealousy won’t
overtake me.
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