A Jealous Heart

1 Corinthians 3:3 states, "For you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way?"  I don't know if it is just me or not, but I am guilty of being jealous of others around me (a lot lately).  Many people I know are redecorating their homes, getting new wardrobes, have homes that are beautifully decorated for the holidays, or have something that I wish I had. Last week I was all down and out because our house looked like the Grinch stole Christmas (inside and out).  We didn't have a tree up, no decorations outside, and we only hung six lonely stockings on the fireplace mantle.  It seemed like every time I logged onto facebook, someone was posting pictures of their Christmas decorations (AND IT LOOKED AMAZING).  I kept worrying about this being Jordyn's first Christmas and the first Christmas that Noah would actually understand the concept of Christmas, but not having anything around the house that would really get them in the Christmas spirit.  


This year, with me being a stay at home mom, we are really trying to budget more.  I didn't think we would actually get a tree or have any decorations.  I went on facebook into one of the local mom swap groups.  I posted that I was looking for some cheap/affordable Christmas decorations and one of my friends told me she had some Christmas decorations that she would give me.  She said that she was just going to give them to Goodwill, but since I needed some, she would GIVE them to me.  I was so happy.  When I went to go to her house to pick them up, that jealous spirit returned, because I saw how great her house looked :(.  Then, to my surprise, I received my mid-month commission from Pampered Chef, so I was able to go out and get a Christmas tree (YAY)! It was only a 5ft tree, but it was our tree.  We had tree decorations from the years past, so we used those to decorate.  


I don't ever want to live outside of my means and get myself in a bind; it's not worth it.  I see people who try to be more than they are just to make themselves look good good and keep up appearances.  I say, stop trying to be like everyone else and be you.  I have realized that it takes more time and energy trying to maintain the image.  This morning, as I laid in bed, I realized that I really need to be thankful for my two beautiful kids, my hardworking husband, the roof over my head, and food in my freezer.  Will I occasionally get that jealous feeling, yes, I'm human, but I am perfectly happy with the life God has blessed me with.  One of my favorite verses of all time is Jeremiah 29:11- "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."  

                                    Our cute little Christmas tree