Switch Your Focus
“My flesh and my heart fail;
But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”
We have a tendency to look at others' lives through the lens of our personal deficiencies. We magnify in others what we lack. We can apply this to nearly every facet of life - health, wealth, family status, spiritual gifts, and so on. For those of us with chronic illnesses, the lives of healthy people seem to be nearly perfect. We see no struggles with fatigue, no prioritizing activities, and no exhaustion from continual doctor appointments. It's easy to envy those who can pick up and go wherever and whenever without worrying about physical ramifications.
I often talk about our "why me" moments. These occasions of self-pity are exacerbated when we see others, usually friends, family, or acquaintances, who have managed to avoid suffering and hardship. It always seems to be that the ones who are living lives outside of God's will have it the easiest.
The Bible tells us that there is nothing new under the sun (Ecclesiastes 1:9), and this is certainly true for what I'm writing about today, as we see it in Psalm 73. This Psalm of Asaph reads as though it could been written today:
1 Truly God is good to Israel,
To such as are pure in heart.
2 But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled;
My steps had nearly slipped.
3 For I was envious of the boastful,
When I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
4 For there are no pangs in their death,
But their strength is firm.
5 They are not in trouble as other men,
Nor are they plagued like other men.
6 Therefore pride serves as their necklace;
Violence covers them like a garment.
7 Their eyes bulge with abundance;
They have more than heart could wish.
8 They scoff and speak wickedly concerning oppression;
They speak loftily.
9 They set their mouth against the heavens,
And their tongue walks through the earth.
10 Therefore his people return here,
And waters of a full cup are drained by them.
11 And they say, “How does God know?
And is there knowledge in the Most High?”
12 Behold, these are the ungodly,
Who are always at ease;
They increase in riches.
13 Surely I have cleansed my heart in vain,
And washed my hands in innocence.
14 For all day long I have been plagued,
And chastened every morning.
15 If I had said, “I will speak thus,”
Behold, I would have been untrue to the generation of Your children.
16 When I thought how to understand this,
It was too painful for me—
17 Until I went into the sanctuary of God;
Then I understood their end.
18 Surely You set them in slippery places;
You cast them down to destruction.
19 Oh, how they are brought to desolation, as in a moment!
They are utterly consumed with terrors.
20 As a dream when one awakes,
So, Lord, when You awake,
You shall despise their image.
21 Thus my heart was grieved,
And I was vexed in my mind.
22 I was so foolish and ignorant;
I was like a beast before You.
23 Nevertheless I am continually with You;
You hold me by my right hand.
24 You will guide me with Your counsel,
And afterward receive me to glory.
25 Whom have I in heaven but You?
And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You.
26 My flesh and my heart fail;
But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
27 For indeed, those who are far from You shall perish;
You have destroyed all those who desert You for harlotry.
28 But it is good for me to draw near to God;
I have put my trust in the Lord God,
That I may declare all Your works.
I believe this Psalm accurately expresses what we often feel and concludes in the way we ought to combat our own envy. When we get stuck looking at what others have in comparison to what we don't have, bitterness tends to take root. If left unchecked, we will become angry with God and begin to waver in our faith.
What's so important for us to remember is that we must look forward with abundant hope rather than zone in on our present lack. We have to hold on to the spiritual things rather than the physical or material. An abundance of possessions or perfect health is not an indicator of great spiritual wellness, and the opposite is just as true: suffering or being in need is not an indication of poor or lacking faith. Focusing on God allows us to remember all of His promises for our future, and to receive His graces, especially strength for the present. So, when we begin to feel envious or jealous of the lives of others, we must consciously decide to turn our minds back to God. Because, as the Psalmist says, "it is good for me to draw near to God."