Jealous vs. Chosen and blessed

Picture the scene: you’re lying on your bed, mindlessly scrolling through Facebook and ‘bam!’, yet another engagement announcement from another beaming couple you went to uni with. You swallow your rising jealousy as you dutifully contribute towards the already 400 likes and fifty comments. “Congrats guys! So happy for you!” Are you really? Or does it hurt you a little bit to see another loved up couple ready to say I do? Does it grate on you when you click back on your own profile, your own life and feel that something huge and wonderful is missing? That God has not blessed you like he has blessed all these couples?

Well, Paul is here to tell us that when we feel like this, we’ve once again missed the point! He writes here that ‘to each one of us grace has been given as Christ has apportioned it.’ Christ himself has chosen you, loved you, given you the gift above all others, above dating, above marriage, above a family. The grace that God has blessed you with is priceless. This truth frees us from jealousy. It might not feel like it just yet… but it can do, I promise.

And it doesn’t end here. Not only does Christ himself give us grace, but ‘God gave gifts to his people.’ In his generosity God designed you with a unique resource of gifts with which you can serve him. Are you sporty? A good listener? Creative? Hilarious? A great cook? Hard working? Don’t let these things sit unnoticed, they are unique to you and they can do so much good. Praise God that he has blessed you so generously.

Action points:

1. Thank Christ for Grace!
2. Ponder your gifts, ask your friends why they love you and find the true joy in thanking God for what He has given you, rather than focusing on what He hasn’t. It’s a small shift of perspective that will have huge consequences.