How do I get over jealous feelings?
When I saw this question as a suggested prompt for Girl Got Faith, I inwardly groaned. Then, when I felt God was telling me to take on this question myself, I outwardly groaned. Jealousy has been a struggle for me for pretty much as long as I can remember, but more so in these past few years.
So, I’m not writing this as someone who has put jealousy behind them, but as someone who is also seeking God’s help for my struggles with jealousy right alongside you.
There are three areas of life which I think need to be addressed when we’re tackling jealousy…
Comparison
In a world of social media and instant access to other people’s highlight reels, it’s so easy to get caught up in comparing ourselves to others.
From looks to possessions, travel stories to relationship statuses- when we compare ourselves to others we often feel as though we’re missing out, or that what we have isn’t enough.
We can take action against this though! Whether it be muting certain social media accounts, setting timers for our apps, or even deleting social media for a while. When we consume less, we compare less.
Honesty
Being honest with God, even about difficulties such as jealousy, is so important.
Honesty always helps us to grow in our relationship with God and surrender our whole selves to Him. Sharing our struggles with God ultimately allows us to let go of our burdens and allows God to work within us.
God isn’t afraid of our brokenness or our trickiest emotions, He is the only one who can make sense of our difficulties and help us to find a way through.
Thankfulness
When we fight feelings of jealousy with an attitude of gratitude, it teaches us to be content with what God has given us.
Whether we keep a thankfulness journal, set alarms to say quick prayers of thanks throughout our day, or set aside some time to talk with God about what we’re grateful for. When we take time to be thankful our feelings of jealousy begin to quieten.
Like I said before, jealousy is something that I’m still fighting against on a daily basis, so please know that you’re not alone in your struggles. And, most importantly, that God is with you as you fight the feelings of jealousy.
