A few weeks ago I had dinner with a friend of mine named Brad Lomenick. He’s the Catalyst Conference guru and has been incredibly kind to me. Basically, every few months we get together and I ask him questions about leadership and changing culture and how not to completely fail at whatever it is God has going on with Stuff Christians Like.
Last time we met, he told me that one of the things I need to actively work on is “celebrating my rivals.” He said there are going to be people I’m jealous of and that jealousy is poison. He said a great way to work on that is to ask yourself, “How can I help this person win?”
I thought that was really good advice and I want to live that out today.
So below are four of the people I find myself jealous of. I want to tell you about them because they’re actually great people and hopefully you’ll go check out what they do. And then, I’d love to hear who you’re jealous of and if they’ve got a link or a blog or anything, tell us all about it. Help that person win.
Here is my list of people I sometimes get jealous of: (because I can be shallow, insecure and sinful not because of anything they’ve done.)
1. Carlos Whittaker
Carlos or “Los” is one of the kindest, most open hearted people I’ve ever met in my life. He pours out grace on people like few others I’ve ever known. And he’s been a great friend to me. But if I’m being honest, sometimes I go to his site, ragamuffinsoul.com and instantly get really jealous. He’s just so great at community building and technology and video and a million other things that I suck at. When I see all the cool things he’s doing and places he’s going I get jealous and that’s not what I want and it’s definitely not what God wants. So go check out Carlos. His site is fantastic and so is he.
2. Tony Morgan
I’ve never even met Tony Morgan, but this is another guru that I get jealous of. His site is great, he’s brilliant at figuring out all the ins and outs on how to run a successful blog and he’s a leadership expert. From all accounts he’s a really nice guy to boot. (Anne Jackson, who I am also jealous of, speaks highly of him and I tend to trust her assessments of folks.) Check out his site, tonymorganlive.com and his book, “Killing Cockroaches” if you get a chance. He's also a consultant with a ton of strategic church experience and is available for awesomeness should you require any.
3. Ben Arment
I’m starting to see a theme develop here, I’m apparently jealous of warm hearted geniuses. Ben Arment is the mastermind behind the upcoming Story Conference in Chicago. (That’s the genius part, the warm hearted part is that he put together the original “Off the Blogs” event that I got to speak at and reached out to me in such an awesome way.) He’s hard to capture in words but he’s kind of like the Christian Seth Godin. He’s living a big, crazy God-centered adventure right now and sometimes when I get jealous of other people’s adventures I take my eyes off my own and in doing so, take my eyes off of God. Please check Ben out and please go to Story, it’s going to be ridiculous.
4. Donald Miller
If you’re a first time author you have to be jealous of Donald Miller. It’s an official Christian publishing rule. Actually, first you have to be jealous, temporarily suspend your jealousy when there’s a glimmer he might quote on the back cover of your book and then ramp it back up when that doesn’t happen. Regardless, there’s no denying that for a ton of people, Donald Miller started a fresh, honest conversation about faith and his willingness to go first with honesty and humor made it possible for people like me to do so as well. (And a few years ago he encouraged me to write at a time when I really needed some encouragement. As a thank you for that brief phone call I made it seem like he and I were incredibly tight when I would talk with other Christians and I had perhaps saved his life in Nam. I am a lunatic.) Check out his new book, A Million Miles in a Thousand Years and his website http://www.donaldmillerwords.com/.
There’s my four.
How about you?
Ready to celebrate your rivals?
Want to say goodbye to some jealousy with me?
Ok I will go first,
ReplyDelete1/ Rob Bell. I don't know where to start. Maybe his astounding knowledge of the Bible and the Jewish Culture, or perhaps his amazing speaking ability and insight into the Bible. He is amazing.
http://robbell.com/
2/ Craig Gross. I love x3church and I wish I had the balls that Craig and the team have to go out and speak God's love into peoples lives, knowing that some Christians will hate what they are doing. Inspiring.
http://xxxchurch.com/
3/ mmm a guy called Jon Acuff who writes a blog (honestly not just putting this in to suck up lol, I'm sure I won't be the only one to put this name down) How about the fact that he can make fun of the Church and bring to light some of the ridiculousness without sounding like a jerk. How about he is just a funny guy and insightful with it. Grr makes me mad ;)
4/ In Case Of Fire
My friends' band who are currently making big waves in the UK rock scene. Just the fact that they come from where I come from and are doing what I and every guy wanted to do at some point, be able to survive by being in an band and just playing music for a living. Nevermind getting to play to thousands of people at festivals and making cool music videos.
http://www.welcometothenewagenda.com/
Love the question......love the idea of "helping them win", very cool concept to break down the sin of jealousy. Probably more effective than a voodoo doll and pins.
ReplyDeleteMy 4 -
1. SCL dude (you). For the same reasons nugg33 already listed. You are funny and kind at the same time, and that's a gift.
2. Pioneer Woman/Ree Drummond - www.thepioneerwoman.com
She is a freak. I don't know how she produces so much fantastic writing, photography, community and still raises 4 children (homeschooling to boot!). I absolutely love her site but I will not be a bit surprised when we find out she is a droid that never sleeps.
3. Peggy Noonan - columnist for the Wall Street Journal - http://online.wsj.com/home-page
Great thinker and writer. I love her style and her depth and her solidness.
4. All skinny women everywhere except the ones who don't have access to food. I don't know how to share a link to promote them; just go buy any women's magazine, I guess.
1. Nie Nie Dialogues - I am VERY jealous of how well this girl keeps her family together, well-fed, happy, and is completely and madly in love with her husband AT ALL TIMES. And her blog is famous. Unfortunately, she was burned in an airplane accident last August, so she's had some major setbacks. But it is still my favorite blog of all time. Reading through her archives is extremely thought-provoking.
ReplyDelete2. YOU. You are one of the wittiest people I have ever read! I'm sooooo jealous of other people's wit. You are so blessed!
3. The Meanest Mom. This chick has mastered the art of documenting the most hysterical stories of her kids lives. I laugh out loud all the time. If only I could find this much humor in my life and retell it like she does!
1. Dan Walsh - He started Garfield Minus Garfield, which is actually appreciated by the creator of Garfield, Jim Davis.
ReplyDeletewww.garfieldminusgarfield.net
2. James Kennison - A youth pastor and has one of the only "Clean" podcasts in the comedy genre over at iTunes, called "Nobody's Listening" and it is in the top ten comedy podcasts last time I checked.
www.nlcast.com
3. Vanna White - I know this one sounds funny, but seriously, who has an easier job than that. Walk back and forth touching monitors that light up blue. Her job used to be tougher though, she actually used to have to turn things to show the letters.
4. Babies - They get waited on hand and foot and they don't even appreciate it. I remember singer/comedian Mark Lowry once said that life should be backwards, so that we start out old and age backwards so we appreciate our youth by the time we get to it, Kind of like Benjamin Button. Mark said this long before Benjamin Button came out though.
That's all, and I enjoy listening to Brad Lomenick on the Catalyst podcast. Lomenick is fun to say, say it out loud. See!
It's so weird, but I never would have considered myself jealous of these people before. But here goes:
ReplyDelete1. I have a friend named Lynn Ann. She's someone that I met back in 2003 after I got saved. Since then, I have been able to look at her life and notice that there is absolutely nothing fake about her. Lynn Ann is the type of woman that everyone goes to. She's love, humor, and compassion all rolled into one. She has a blog, and her address to it is http://redfox670.xanga.com/
2. Oswald Chambers. I have been reading My Utmost For His Highest and he says things that are mind blowing and I sit back and go "I wish I had come up with that!" If any of you read this and don't own a copy of this book, get one soon.
1. Nicole C. Mullins: when I see her at Women of Faith Conferences and see how "together" she has everything (family, career, and her fantastic muscular frame)....and realize we are close to the same age.....sigh....
ReplyDelete2. Women with housekeepers.....or at least who have someone who will do their housework....wait a minute, that's why I had kids......
3. Women with time to have productive hobbies......and have something to show for it at the end of the day...
4. Stacy from Louisville.....cause she can think up the perfect thing to say.....and then she says it!!
4.
Ok. I will fess up. I feel like I need to unload it somewhere and you have presented the perfect opportunity.
ReplyDelete1. I am jealous of writers who creatively fraction words together so brilliantly that I can feel the emotion in their writings. I'm not going to name names. There are a few extremely talented bloggers that I am currently very fond of reading. You may have mentioned a few and you may also be included.
2. I am begging to be envious of the worker who strolls into work, puts in their 8 hours and doesn't have a care in the world of how the business is surviving in this economy. As long as their paycheck clears, they could care less about what stress the owner of the business in dealing with in order to keep the business alive. I think people don't care a lot about the companies they work for. It makes me sad and yet a little jealous that they don't carry the worry around on their shoulders.
That's about it. Love your blog.
I sometimes get jealous of missionaries in more remote parts of the world, like Daniel and Chrissie Winslow in Nepal http://servingsouthasia.blogspot.com/
ReplyDeleteor their co-workers Nathan and Sarah Sloan http://reachingnepal.com/
I also get jealous of missionaries who get to translate the Bible into the language of an unreached people group. How cool would that be to be able to do?
The other group of people are writers who get published; just in general, not just a specific one, my sin is pretty much big enough to cover just about all authors.
1. Women who were able to have their own children. Don't get me wrong, I love my sons as if they were my own...but how different would things be if I'd had them always?
ReplyDeleteNo links. That's it, because, conversely, or perhaps that should be perversely, I am also quite excited that my 16 & 17 yo will both graduate on July 16, 2010 and we will be FREE for awhile!!!
It's a paradox, maybe even an oxymoron.
Oh my gosh...I just busted a gut for the person who said they were jealous of babies! That is so true, and that is hilarious!
ReplyDelete1.) Rich people. I know God doesn't want us to worry about that type of thing, and I am happy with what I have in my life! But it's easy to sometimes think it'd be so much easier if I didn't have to worry about money! Don't know how to promote that (or if it should be promoted!), but I think it's promoted enough in everyday life as it is.
2. People who get to travel all the time. I LOVE to travel! Maybe that money thing plays into this too...I promise I'm not all into money! LOL
3.) Creative people, and people who can write well. http://modpodgerocks.blogspot.com/
2.) People who are in shape!
I think I'm jealous of all of these types of people because these are the goals I have for myself (other than being rich...would be nice, but I'm a simple kind of girl). They've achieved them, and most likely in a realistic amount of time! But I want these things now, and I, as a human, am inpatient, so I'm jealous of them because they already have it!
Sometimes I am jealous of my husband - he got to work on his career while I raised kids - which I loved - but now they are gone. so I had to start very late in life. He is already to the point where he has lots of vacation time and a very flexible work schedule. I am running my own business in a faltering economy, no pay, no vacation time and little flexibility. Man - those are all lies from the enemy - actually - I GET to run my own business and no work for anyone else. Sometimes - I do want his life, though.
ReplyDeleteI am jealous of one Jon Acuff.
ReplyDeleteI am also jealous of youth ministers that get a real budget and don't have to fight through a church split while focusing on their kids.
I'm jealous of my sister who has always had everything given to her including her college tuition since I am still trying to pay mine off.
Honestly I'm jealous of a lot of people, but then I remember what I have and I don't worry about it so much.
I'm jealous of people who live near their extended family. I know, I know...that can be a curse, too. But I live 900 miles away from my closest relative, and further from my sisters. My kids are growing up without knowing the ease and normalcy of being with aunts, uncles, grandparents, etc., on my side of the family. Money's always tight, can't afford to travel often. As a divorced Christian, I do feel that I lost my community when that happened.
ReplyDeleteIf I could start a non-profit, it would be to connect older folks with young families, esp. single parent families. I want community. And I have good individual friends, but not community.
Thanks...maybe this will help me get over the self-pity I feel every holiday! It bites!
There are some amazing photographers in the world.
ReplyDeleteMike Colon is an amazing photographer, loves his family and loves Jesus.
http://mikecolon.com/
Jasmine Star is awesome too (another wedding photographer). She is hilarious, honest, has a great blog and is rad: http://www.jasminestarblog.com/
I read throught the comments, even nodded my head in agreement to several posts. Got off the computer and went to get up and had my answer. I am jealous of people who don't hurt. There I said it. I look back longingly at people who walk, and move about with little pain. I have arthritis, and though I am only in my forties, I feel a hundred most days. One day a cute little thing jogged by my house and the third time she ran by, I had this sudden urge to throw a rock at her for about a second. Because she was cute? Nah, before I hurt so much maybe that would have been enough reason. The sheer movement that her body seemed to have. I took for granted so many things if how I could get around. If I had not taken them for granted, I still would hurt today, but just maybe I think sometimes I would not miss so much what I had, if I knew I had it at the time.
ReplyDeleteI'm jealous of those that get to spend time with my loved ones. God took my husband and I to the other end of the country (which is an amazing blessing), but I hurt when I don't get to be a part of things anymore.
ReplyDeleteMSmith,
ReplyDeleteUntil a couple years ago I lived in the middle of the country with my In-laws on one coast and my family on the other. Nearly 20 hour drive either way made it terrible. Before that my parents were in Guam so it was even worse. I was raised in the military so I've never had extended family near by.
I am beyond grateful that God brought me near my parents as I prayed so many times. I want my kids to know their grandparents in ways I never did.
I totally get your frustration and loneliness.
Thanks for this, Jon. The Lord is working on this in me and it is a constant place of dissatisfaction. I love the thought of changing my jealousy to help others win.
ReplyDelete1. Alli Rogers: she is a talented singer/songwriter from Iowa/Nashville. Her songs are about life and love and are completely relatable and genuine. Her blog is just as fabulous. So you should go buy her music and read her blog.
www.allirogers.blogspot.com
2. you (weird, but it's true...sorry): you are able to capture nuggets of truth EVERYwhere and write about them in such a way that I feel like God gave me personally that nugget of truth as well.
www.stuffchristianslike.blogspot.com
3. Dr. Rodney Reeves: he's a professor from my alma mater - Southwest Baptist University. He is a prolific writer and is respected and loved because he's awesome, but also because he doesn't "sugarcoat" the truth of scripture. His hermeneutics are off the hook and make me want to be better at what I do.
www.agenuinefaith.blogspot.com
4. Everyone that gets to live abroad and do ministry. I won't list all their blogs, but hearing about others' opportunities make me first think, "How awesome!" .06 seconds later it's "Why not me?!"
Support people who have committed to the global mission field.
I'm jealous of pregnant teenagers. They are apparently the most fertile humans on earth, and yet they don't even want to have a baby or are prepared to take care of a baby. I want to be pregnant, yet I'm not. And, no, I'm not ready to let the jealousy go.
ReplyDeleteHeidi - thank you for sharing The Meanest Mom. I am crying from laughing so hard. For anyone else interested, the link is : http://themeanestmom.blogspot.com/
ReplyDelete1. People who can begin and maintain positive relationships. Not just with the opposite sex but friends and family as well. I try really hard to be happy for married people or friends raising children. But I'm crippled by always trying to figure out "what's wrong with me?"
ReplyDelete2. People that seem to be doing exactly what they want with their lives and careers. They are on great lifepaths.
3. People that are honest and humble enough to not want to be perfect all the time.
If I were being completely honest, I would have to say that I'm jealous of you. I wish I could write my blog in a way that somehow manages to tap into popular culture, Christian culture, and all of the touchstones that resonate with readers and somehow make them laugh in the meantime. I keep running out of things to write about other than my own mundane experience, and I'd give my right arm (ok, I need it type with, so maybe my right leg) to be able to publish a book.
ReplyDeleteBeyond that, I would say I'm jealous of our former church's praise team director, whose piano and musical skills surpass mine to the point of ridiculousness. She is an amazing worship leader and I'd leave a link to her website if she had one, but she also teaches full-time and has a family so doesn't really have time to do anything else. I've learned a lot from her about leading worship.
Third for me is my sister, who has always had it together in terms of running her household with three kids while working part to full time, staying on top of their family finances, and just generally being an amazing pastor's wife. I can't seem to get it together even when I'm not working like I am now. They don't have any debts other than a car loan, and they manage to not "need" all of the stuff that I think I need. I have learned a lot from her, and she's my little sister!
I usually have these conversations in my head, but I will share them with you all.
ReplyDelete1) David Crowder
For the obvious, he is an amazing musician and brilliant mind.
And he travels the world playing music and hangin with his buddies.
Pretty much anybody in DC*B I am jealous of.
2) Carlos Whittaker
Much the same as you.
The man is a genius and seems to be a even better guy.
Love what he is doing and his heart.
3) People who love their jobs
I am easily jealous of people who have found their dream job and know it.
They don't have to tell you, it is on their face and in their actions.
4) Barton Damer
The dude is an amazing designer and artist. He is the man
1. you - your gift to see the ridiculousness of the church without being sacreligious is very cool.
ReplyDelete2. steven furtick - wish i had the guts to jump out in faith like he has.
3. tony morgan - how do you gain that much insight?
4. perry noble - jealous of his energy. he makes me tired just following his tweets.
www.allenrogers.wordpress.com
1. Bloggers who end up becoming published (cough*JonAcuff*cough) or their site explodes with readers (cough*JonAcuff*cough).
ReplyDelete2. Women who have the time to scrapbook or you know...whatever their hobby is. For that matter, women who get to use their own bathroom without anyone knocking on the door.
3. Beth Moore. I'm not only insanely grateful for her ministry and her Bible Studies, I'm ridiculously jealous of her speaking skills.
Being jealous of others is one of the biggest sins in my life. And it wasn't until recently that I actually accepted that being jealous of someone else is actually a sin. A friend of mine said that someone told her once that being envious of others regardless of what the envy is, is coveting, which is a sin. That hit me pretty hard.
ReplyDeleteI love your blog! So, I'll play. None of these people have links and I'll name them by initials for privacy reasons. I think it will be good for me, more than anyone else, to get these feelings out of my head/heart and in to words.
1. Z.G. She is a pillar of faith. She is true to the bone. She is genuine and happy all the time, no matter what. I wish I could have the kind of infectious happiness that she has, even a smidgen of it. She is accepting of everyone and sees the good in all people. And she keeps this attitude up in the midst of some incredible life challenges she is facing personally.
2. R.B. Again, another person that is just always happy. She is beautiful and her smile lights up the room. She is kind and everyone wants to be her friend because she is a great friend. She has a beautiful family, a doting husband and so much family around her to love and support her. I am very envious of all the family that surrounds her because I don't have that.
3. E.B. She is growing up in a completely different way than I did (MUCH better life) and it's hard for me to see at times. Is it possible to be jealous of your own child? I am. Extremely happy for her that she won't have to endure any of what I did, but it's a hard pill to swallow sometimes feeling like it's always right in my face.
4.M.C. She's an awesome person that's funny and beautiful. I'm envious of her home situation and her husbands job. I know that's so shallow-I wish my husband had gone the same route.
Adding one more small thing-all the vocalists at my church. I wish I had the courage to get up there, too. I know I have the talent, but I don't have the confidence. I wish I had their confidence.
And LOL at the Vanna White comment. So true! I think a lot of people are jealous of her!
ReplyDeleteI really love my life and even have learned to find value in the pain. It magnifies the joy for me I guess.
ReplyDeleteI do wish my family served more together like the family of the writer of
http://www.thewardrobeandthewhitetree.com/
there are lots of things about this family I am jealous of. Kinda. But not really. The grass looks greener but I bet it is not.
Also I am jealous of girls with tattoo sleaves or really big pieces. My biggest tat only took 2 1/2- 3 hours. Wimpy. ; )
Grace & Peace yall, daphne
*sigh*
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty much jealous of anyone with a successful music ministry, or is heavily involved with a music ministry.
I want to be a music pastor, and sometimes I compare myself to other music pastors and wonder if I have what it takes. The music pastor at my chuch is an awesome guy, but I often feel intimated and inadequate when I'm around him. I tell God if I just had the resources, I could be just like Pastor so-and-so, if they'd just let me on the vocal team, I would totally rock out and be an awesome worship leader. I keep asking God when I'm going to have my turn, when am I going to become the next Darlene Zschech.
God called me to be a music pastor, and sometimes I want it so bad it hurts. Sorry to bring the room down like that, those thoughts have been stirring around in my head for a while.
Dang. I thought I could get away with silent jealousy and weak attempts to pray it away. This is the second time in about 18 hours that I have seen a challenge like this. I guess God is trying to tell me something. Looks like I won't be able to ignore my blog anymore. Thanks for speaking when and what God tells you to.
ReplyDeleteto sarah, who said "4. Everyone that gets to live abroad and do ministry. I won't list all their blogs, but hearing about others' opportunities make me first think, "How awesome!" .06 seconds later it's "Why not me?!"
ReplyDeleteSupport people who have committed to the global mission field." there's not a lot to be jealous about here. I am one of those people, and if you knew how it *really* is overseas, you would not feel envious. It may be fantastic for some, but it's the hardest time my family has ever had, and I hope we make it out of here without a divorce or my kids turning away from God.
I like your plug to support missionaries, though. Fundraising is one of the most difficult jobs we have.
People who can eat whatever they want and still be skinny.
ReplyDeleteThat's pretty much it. But it's a lot.
I'm going to look like an arrogant arse here, but I really can't think of anyone I'm jealous of. There are certainly people I admire and in some ways try to emulate, but comparing yourself to others is, for me, always a losing proposition. There's only one Jon Acuff. You're the original and you're pretty darned good at it. Go with that.
ReplyDeleteOkay, so maybe I'm jealous of Stacy from Louisville cuz you like her better than me. (snort!)
There are a few people I am jealous of, but only one that truly stands out in my mind. It also happens to be the one I am most ashamed of admitting to, but here goes... I am most jealous of.... my HUSBAND. For some reason, that sounds doubly sinful to me. Does that sound doubly sinful to you? Sigh...
ReplyDeleteAnyways, I have this kind of crazy, dual extremely proud of him/super jealous of him mentality. You see, God has given him this incredible gift that allows him to present the gospel visually; through art, music, & martial arts. He is an evangelist in the truest sense of the word. On the one hand, I stand in awe of what God is able to accomplish through him. On the other hand, I find myself asking, "why can't He use ME like that?" And of course, what I really mean by that is: I want fame, I want glory, I want to be recognized for more than simply being his wife. Ouch! Jealousy is SO ugly!
His name is Rick btw, and this is where you can find him: www.rickalonzo.org
P.S. I feel I must mention that I love him madly, and he still rocks my world after 14+ years of marriage and 4 children! :)
John over at Church Crunch. When I grow up, I want to be an EPIC Christian nerd, just like him. ;)
ReplyDeleteWowzers. Just checked out the Meanest Mom too. SO funny!
ReplyDeletekatdish,
ReplyDeleteAnytime you are jealous of Stacy you can remember that she still has a creepy o_O blue on brown Twitter avatar.
1. My friend Nan. Every time I see her, she immediately wants to know how I'm REALLY doing. Usually I tell her everything that's going on in my little world, and it's a few minutes before I realize that I never asked her how she was doing. And she prays about everything, all the time. I want to seek God's face like she does.
ReplyDelete2. Alllll of my friends who keep getting married. I don't even have any prospects. It stinks.
3. Anyone who can play the piano. I tried, but gave up. I'm especially jealous if they can play and sing at the same time.
4. My dog. He does a lot of sleeping. And he gets to stay at home with my family while I go 4 hours away to school.
1. People in positions of leadership. The idea stems from the numerous occurences in my life of people telling me i'll be a great leader someday. That gets hard to grasp when you keep getting denied opportunities to lead, with and without titles.
ReplyDelete2. Christian couples my age who I don't know well, but I can easily see they're madly in love with each other. How the woman got beyond the classic christian-college-girl-fear/aloof-of-relationships thing is beyond me.
That's all I can think of at the moment, but I want to end my comment with a point: if we stopped comparing ourselves to each other, i think a majority of the church's problems, such as power and insecurity and the like, would go away. Even all these faddy things we see here on this blog might go away. Instead, it would be us... and God. Taking the message to the world one person at a time.
1) Sometimes I'm jealous of how funny my kids think my husband is (guest poster Brannon) especially when I get their courtesy laughs. He is far funnier though and he makes me laugh too. And I'm jealous that he got to guest post even though I introduced him to your lovely blog.
ReplyDelete2) I'm with Jujube on being jealous of any and all skinny chicks.
3) People who make time to exercise regularly. In my previous career I worked out all the time. I've never found a way to fit it in since I "went into the ministry."
4) People who get to have lunch with Brad Lomenick and live in the ATL which is home to all of the other people I am jealous of.
Wow...great question!
ReplyDeleteI am jealous of people who get to start over. I have been in an unhappy marriage for 16 years, and feel like I've lost my chance for real love and happiness.
I am jealous of women who feel good about their bodies-no matter their size.
I am jealous of women who have really fabulous shoes. weird, I know.
As I read through some of these comments I was taken back a little. Taken back by those who went deeper and shared the jealousy that arises in them due to their pain. Physical pain, emotional pain, etc. That’s hard to admit and hard to deal with. That’s where the “Why God?” question often comes in. More than “I want to be like this person because they HAVE ______ or GET to _______,” it’s deeper, more complex. Most of us CAN be or CAN do what we admire in others, we just don't step out far enough and actually do it (me included in certain instances). For those with a physical disability or deep emotional pain, it can be much more difficult (but it can be done as well). Rather than list 4 that I admire, sometimes to the point of being jealous, I just want to lift up all those in prayer who are in pain. Philippians 4:13
ReplyDelete1. Pregnant women. My husband and I have been "trying" for a little over a year and nothing yet. I trust God's plans are the best but it is still difficult looking at pregnant women. And I am sure that many of them waited a long time but many times I am tempted to think "Not FAIR!" especially when they are not even married.
ReplyDelete2. People who have "perfect weddings"...lol...this is so shallow but there are so many things I wish I could've done differently and many times I find myself getting jealous of friends with the "perfect wedding".
3. People who were virgins when they got married. I messed up so bad and still carry that guilt into my own marriage. (Maybe this goes hand in hand with #2). I know though that someday God will use even this to help me counsel other women.
4. Sometimes I am jealous of my friends that are at a mega church because it seems so easy (access to the resources, paid staff, etc, etc.). Being a church planter is hard work and I am aware that working in any ministry is demanding and sacrificial yet I find myself thinking the grass is greener on the other side often.
Thank you Jon for being so candid with us. Your ministry has really strengthened me in my walk with Christ.
1. People who are naturally organized. I have to work so hard to figure out how to get my house to a point where I can walk through it, let alone be organized.
ReplyDelete2. People who hang out with friends. I have plenty of friends, but the really close ones don't live nearby and the ones who do are single and have different interests.
3. Jen Hatmaker. She is an amazing writer and woman. She seems so confident in herself but is also willing to put her failings out there. www.jenhatmaker.com
I wouldn't say that I was jealous. These are people whose faith in the Lord, I admire. They may not have written blogs but they have written some excellent books or excellent books have been written about them.
ReplyDelete1) George Mueller
2) Andrew Murray
3) Andrew Wommack
4) Joyce Meyer
I forgot one...........
ReplyDeleteThough I'm happy for *them*, I am jealous of my friends who are happily connected in churches or faith communities that are facilitating their walks with God and who have genuine fulfilling Christian relationships in those churches. I miss that. Sometimes I wonder whether I will ever find it again or if I have changed to the point that the format will never work for me again.
Your butt.
ReplyDeleteSee. I don't have one.
As a mix between Mexican and Panamanian, that did not fare well for my back end.
It is more of a back with a crack.
But yours, when you were on stage at Off The Blogs speaking, you might have felt your back end heat up.
I was staring a hole thru it.
Amazing.
Seriously dude.
You are amazing and I count it an honor to be called your friend.
Los
pretty much anyone who has gotten national/international exposure for their songs...I try to battle that jealousy, though. It's not healthy.
ReplyDeleteCARLOS!
ReplyDeleteI have never seen a funnier comment on this site.
1. Joe Satriani
ReplyDelete2. Yngwie Malmsteen
3. Tony McAlpine
3. Eric Johnson
4. Anyone who can bench press over 200 lbs.
5. Perfect Christians who have it all figured out.
John Ortberg. So often I read somethign he wrote, or listen to one of his messages and think - I wish I'd said/written that. I love the way his mind works. He so often articulates in a genuine and humourous way something I've been wrestling with but unable to nail the words for and I have to try really hard not to plaguarise him.
ReplyDeletePeople in ministry with colleagues who are also deep, real friends, who share the same paradigm of ministry and therefore energise and inspire each other so they can keep going through the tough stuff.
Ravi Zacharias - that man has a way of preaching and writing about complicated things in culture and Christianity using complicated words yet making it understandable.
ReplyDeleteSean Combs (Not trying to be funny even) - seems like he's King Midas. Whatever his endeavors are, it seems he wins, music, clothing, tv, etc.
My boss - From time to time I do book keeping for him. Talk about a millionaire in disguise. The man knows his construction business and isn't a jerkhole either.
Any writer that mans up and actually writes, publishes, and sells his book. It's a bitter-sweet prick telling me I need to get busy.
Does it make you feel good when people say they're jealous of you? Do you swoon on the inside?
ReplyDeleteAlso...
Is there anyone you're jealous of that isn't popular?
If i'm being honest, i get jealous of my older brother from time to time.
ReplyDeleteDavid is an insanely talented visual artist, and musician who fronts a great hard rock band(blissed). He has a heart for God, and a desire to reach youth where they are at. Plus, he's a great husband to his wife and father to his children, and he can fix anything it seems.
It never helped that I had people ask me why i can't sing the way my brother does, or ask what instrument i play since Dave plays drums, bass, guitar etc etc...or the best ever, he's your brother, he's so hot.
Make him balding and he looks like me!
Check out his music at www.myspace.com/blissedrocks
I'm jealous of Lesley. She's one of my dearest friends, and she has the most beautiful voice in the room (no matter what room). On top of that, she's the sweetest, kindest, most loving person--sweetness and genuine-ness oozes out of her pores. She writes about 2,345 songs a day, and they're all beautiful, and it's like God just opened up her head and poured them in, then she pours them out. She plays the piano, viola, guitar, and she's extremely talented.
ReplyDeleteSigh.
http://www.myspace.com/lesleysheamusic
Nobody's jealous of me!!!
ReplyDeleteWhaaaah!!!!
"As a mix between Mexican and Panamanian..."
ReplyDeleteWhat a racist jerk! I'm Mexican and my butt is very nice... but I don't talk about it online.
And why do people think that a peverted comment about lusting after another man's butt is funny?
I waited, hoping to avoid comment. Sigh. Must face the truth.
ReplyDelete1-my pastor's wife. She's a mother of three, active in the community, reaching out to ladies in the church, witnessing to ladies outside of the church. She appears to do it all. And on top of it, she's the outgoing, bubbly type that I am not.
2-my lovely sister. She's a mother of two, stays at home and keeps it looking beautiful, active in women's ministry, has a home-party business, and supports her husband who's headed to full-time ministry. And she's always been better at things that I struggled with, including her petite size :).
3-people who are sold out and radical for God, who don't worry about who knows how crazy they are about the Lord.
I'm mostly jealous of newly-weds and/or people who seem to be having more fun than me. I am a mom of 3 little ones, married for 7 years, and seem to have forgotten how to have fun or what I used to like to do. Now I mostly do laundry for fun. I am trying to be happy for people who are currently enjoying more freedom in life, and I try to fondly remember my past and imagine my future possibilities, but mostly try to enjoy my present reality. It's hard though. As busy as 3 kids is, it's also not and I get bored.
ReplyDelete1. I swore I would never comment on here.
ReplyDeleteOkay, let the pride go...
I guess if I'm honest I haven't left comments on here because that would mean I'm giving YOU affirmation... and I haven't wanted to affirm/encourage you because... I'm JEALOUS of you.
I guess it's good to admit that and to ponder the cancer of jealousy. Why don't I pray for you and for your ministry to increase instead of roll my eyes at you? Thanks for being really open and for being a voice for Jesus in cyberspace.
2. Andrew Peterson. Seriously, not only can the guy write profound things, he writes them to music! So many times, I feel emotionally constipated and wish I could captures and express my feelings in such a beautiful way like Andrew does.
Well, that was the whole point of this post... if I'm going to be really honest... and that is to hear how many people tell me they're jealous of me! It boosts my ego, which is good, because my ego usually crashes whenever anyone criticizes me.
ReplyDelete