The other day I came across this funny thought titled… “In My Next Life”

In this life I’m a woman.

In my next life, I’d like to come back as a bear. When
you’re a bear, you get to hibernate. You do nothing
but sleep for six months. I could deal with that.

Before you hibernate, you’re supposed to eat yourself
stupid. I could deal with that, too.

When you’re a girl bear, you birth your children (who
are the size of walnuts) while you’re sleeping and
wake to partially grown, cute cuddly cubs. I could
definitely deal with that.

If you’re a mama bear, everyone knows you mean
business. You swat anyone who bothers your cubs.
If your cubs get out of line, you swat them too. I could
deal with that.

If you’re a bear, your mate EXPECTS you to wake up
growling. He EXPECTS that you will have hairy legs
and excess body fat.

Yup… gonna be a bear.”

The truth is many people wish they were living a different life. Enamored with the pressures of the daily grind people tend to see the grass always greener on the other side of their own existence. Instead of making the most of what they have, they are always wishing for something else. Of course, the problem is one can get so caught up in what they don’t have that they fail to see what they do have. This plagues most people even those with great intentions and positivity.

I spend a great deal of time with people from all walks of life and I have found one thing in common. No matter what race, religion, or region they come from the repeating symptom is the same. It is a nasty disease which affects us all. What is it you ask? The problem…Covetousness. The dictionary defines this detestable word as…

Cov-et-ous: feeling or showing a very strong desire for something that you do not have and especially for something that belongs to someone else. 

Here is what Jesus said about covetousness…

Luke 12:15 (NKJV)

And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”

When we covet what we don’t have we always lose. To wish you had something else is to waste what you do have. To wish you were someone else is to waste who you are. To wish you had more is to waste what you already possess. We don’t maximize the potential of our current season when we are focused on another one. When we are always looking at what is around us we can easily miss what is within us.

Here is what COVETOUSNESS does…

1. Steals Your Joy

What you currently have is a blessing not a curse. Remember STRESSED is just DESSERTS spelled backwards. When you change the perspective you change the meaning. Stop complaining about what you don’t have and start thanking God for what you do have. Praise God for His provision instead of grumbling about your lack of. When you change your attitude to gratitude you will always see the blessings around you. Joy comes from gratitude not greed.

2. Delays Your Provision

Why would one think God is going to bless them when they are complaining about what they have been blessed with? God does not respond to frustration He responds to faith. My children get more from me when they are grateful for what they have than when they are complaining about what they don’t have. God is our father, He desires to bless us, but not when we are constantly grumbling. Look at the children of Israel in the Bible, they complained and complained, and delayed their journey to the Promise Land because of it. Some didn’t even make it into the land because of their grumbling.

3. Isolates Yourself

No want likes to be around overly greedy people. Covetousness repels people from you, it doesn’t draw them close. When we allow ourselves to covet things we start to pull away from being in community with others. We allow jealousy, pride, anger, bitterness, resentment, and gossip start to sneak it’s way into our life it pulls us away from others. We become critical and judgmental of people around us. God never intended for us to allow this toxic behavior to destroy us. He created us to live in harmony with each other, encouraging one another, blessing one another, and rejoicing with one another. If we can’t rejoice when others are blessed more than us something is terribly wrong. Don’t let covetousness cause you to isolate from the community God has called you to live in.

Here is my challenge to you…

Kick covetousness in the face by allowing gratitude to fill your thoughts and you will live with incredible peace. Remember what motivational speaker Jim Rohn said, “Don’t wish it was easier wish you were better. Don’t wish for less problems wish for more skills. Don’t wish for less challenge wish for more wisdom”