Jealousy and Resentment a case and point

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Jealousy and resentment seem to go together whenever one is present. I was specifically thinking of 3 different examples where these have been made manifest in my life. The first is when I was in elementary school and I got beat up for having a Mexican girlfriend, as I think about that now I know they were Jealous that Tammy liked me and not one of them and they resented that.

The second example is having neighbors in our area that drive around super nice vehicles like expensive SUVs and both my wife and I have voiced our resentment and jealousy by saying things like: "How can they drive a nice car like that, we have had the same VAN for 12 years, how can they afford it, they must be in boatloads of debt in order to do that. We know what they do for a living and they make less money." In reality they may be in debt but that is not my concern, they also may have made other sacrifices in order to drive a nice car such as saving up for it. They may have gotten money from an insurance policy and instead of paying off the house or buying a house decided to buy a new car. Later we found that some of our neighbors purchased a very nice SUV that had previously been in a wreak and so appearances are not always what they seem to be. So we can be judgmental, jealous and resentful but it does not do us any good at all in fact it steals our energy.

The third example is my next door neighbor and his kids. I was bothered because they threw rocks at my dog so trying to love my neighbor became a real challenge because they would deny having thrown rocks even when I stood in my kitchen and watched them do it. Then I would walk over and talk to their dad and they would again deny it in front of him. I almost installed a camera. This neighbor takes his boys and his wife camping almost every weekend and they ride their ATVs on SAT and SUNDAY. I caught myself being jealous and resenting that I could not go out on ATVs on Sundays. Well I suppose I could do that if I chose to but for years I have stuck to my decision to try to keep the day of rest a holy day and not do things like that. Now they do not belong to any religion that we know about so they have not made the same commitments so doing this is not a sin for them but would be for me. Now that I have thought this through I now feel joy for him and I respect that he can take that time to bond with his boys. I respect my decision as well and feel that what I am doing is the right thing although I don't judge him for not trying to respect the day of rest whether it be Saturday the real Sabbath or Sunday which many feel is the adjusted Sabbath after Christ's resurrection.

So jealousy and resentment when analyzed carefully can either destroy you and hurt others or can be changed into admiration and joy for others good fortune. I strive to be happy for others when they are blessed or receive good things whether it is money, luck, good jobs or whatever. We tend to attract what we concentrate on and if we concentrate on the negative we tend to get more of it. When we complain about what we don't have we end up with more problems. I have an awesome family, beautiful wife, great kids and I am proud of my wife and family. I am learning to change my attitude and as this happens the rest of your life begins to change as well. God bless you in your efforts to love, live life and serve others for in service we will find ourselves.