Have you ever been jealous of a friend or family member or of their success? Well, what does it mean to be jealous?

Jealous: adjective 1.feeling or showing envy of someone or their achievements and advantages:

Sentence: “He grew jealous of her success”

synonyms: envious, covetous, desirous, resentful, grudging… 

antonyms: admiring, proud 

A few years ago, I remember becoming friends with one of the girls I worked with and she was nice and Christian like me and the more I got to know her, jealousy start to kick in. Why was I jealous of her? Well, she graduated from College, was dating her soon to be husband and had a nice job and etc. Listen, everything I was hoping would have already happen for me, has and was happening for her. I was jealous of her success.

However, I’m glad that my jealousy was short lived and that I didn’t allow it to reunion our friendship. I don’t think I ever told her I was jealous of her success. Till this day we are good friends and she reached out to me before she moved to another City with her family.

How did I get over my jealousy? I stopped focusing on what my friend had and what I didn’t and took my jealousy to God. The more I prayed, the better I felt and one day, the weight of jealousy was lifted off me. I became genuinely happy for my friend success. I no longer looked at her, while in the back of my mind, saying, ugh, why are you succeeding, it should be me.

In closing, God has a plan for every one of us

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11 NIV. 

God doesn’t want us to be jealous of anyone or their success. because He has enough blessings and success to go around. God will have you be genuinely happy for others and congratulate others. If you’re dealing with jealousy right now, I encourage you to go to God like I did.  That jealousy may not leave overnight, but keep going to God and focus on what He wants you to focus on. There’s nothing too hard for God.

“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Matt. 6:33 kjv.