Written by guest writer Beth Whiting, my dear friend and neighbor
I have the privilege of living next door to a wonderful friend who also has a son close in age to my daughter. We do almost everything together and it is a tremendous blessing. This summer we both wanted to spruce up our back yards, so we both bought mandevilla vines and put them in the corners near our fence. The only difference between the two plants is my neighbor’s vine has a pretty rod iron pole to grow up, while mine just wraps around the fence. The two plants seem to take turns doing well. Some weeks I look out the window to see beautiful blooms surrounding her corner of the fence, while my plant seems to be utterly fruitless. Then other weeks she comments on how beautiful my plant seems to be growing, and complains hers doesn’t seem to be doing anything. I am secretively envious when my plant has fewer flowers, so I vow to buy a rod iron pole the next time I’m out. Then, I become secretively proud when mine seems to have more growth than my neighbors, because mine is growing even without the added support. The funny thing is, I don’t even water this plant. If it does grow, I can’t take any credit for it. My question is if I am this way with a plant, then how soon is the day coming when I will do the same kind of comparison and analysis with my daughter against her peers? Lord, help me to not become envious or proud based on the performance of my child and children to come.
Related Scriptures:
Ecclesiastes 4:4 “And I saw that all labor and all achievement spring from man's envy of his neighbor. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.”
Exodus 20:17 "You shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor."
1 Corinthians 3:7 “It is neither he who waters, nor he who plants, but God who brings the increase.”
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