Appreciate the Blessings

By: Joanne Viola

 “Thieves are jealous of each other’s loot, but the godly are well rooted and bear their own fruit.”
(Proverbs 12:12, NLT)

Jealousy raises its ugly head in all of us every now and then. Even as believers, it is not an emotion to which we are immune.

It begins with comparison – we look to see what others have obtained, and what we are yet missing. We wonder why God brings blessing to others and we seem to be lacking. We gauge our success by the success of others.

Jealousy has been defined as “resentment against a person enjoying success or an advantage” (dictionary.com).

The writer of proverbs worded it well – “we are jealous of each other’s loot.”

I can remember when we first bought our home. Our half acre of land was something too wonderful to absorb. My heart felt like it was going to burst the first time I walked the boundary of our square lot. Every place my foot stepped was ours. Now that may not seem like a big deal to some, but for me – it was a blessing beyond my expectation.

Perhaps this is the way we need to think of our lives. All that has occurred in our lives – every success, every blessing – is like a deed which has our name on it. It is ours and ours alone.

The deeded enclosure brings fruit into our lives that is ours to be enjoyed. We need to appreciate it, own it as ours, and tend to it.

We have lived in our house for about 29 years now. Our roots go down deep in this house. Memories have been forged. Our kids have grown and married here. Our granddaughters were brought here each day while their parents worked.

The deeper the roots have gone, the more we have come to love and be attached to our piece of home. The deeper the roots have gone, the more our home has birthed fruit. The more fruit, the more we have come to love, enjoy, and appreciate our home.

It's the very same way in every aspect of our lives with our families, careers, finances, positions. We must come to enjoy and appreciate the blessings given to us. 

Sometimes we just need to stop looking at everyone else’s loot,
and appreciate the blessings in our own lives.

 

Photo by Martin Kníže on Unsplash