Lately I've been exploring the idea that contentment is the opposite of covetousness. The whole, count your blessings instead of complaining thing. "Covetousness" is such an ominous archaic word, but I can't think of a better synonym. Maybe "being jealous to the point of obsession of something someone else has".
I've never really been into possessions. Sure, I'd love a Blackberry and a What Not to Wear worthy wardrobe, but I've never been one to pine for stuff. So every time I heard a sermon or discussion about coveting, I brushed it off as not applying to me. But the other day I heard a new perspective on this and it really made me think.
Possessions aren't the only things we can covet. I realize that's a pretty basic concept, but I'd never really thought of it that way before. Being jealous of someone else's job, circle of friends, relationship status, or abilities totally counts as coveting.
Everything happens the way it does for a reason. We are where we are in life because it's where we're supposed to be. And we have what we have because that's what we need right now. One of my favorite bands, U2, puts it this way: "What you don't have you don't need it now."
Interesting. I have thought of coveting like this, but I haven't thought too hard about it. I think I covet like this too much. I know I compare myself to other people too much.
ReplyDeleteI am also wondering how your Facebook fast is going, because I have been considering getting rid of it all together and just keeping the blog.
The FB fast is going pretty well. I've only been checking once a day, but I think I need to set a time limit for that once a day. Today it turned into an hour, which doesn't really qualify as fasting.
ReplyDeleteI've seen some people strip down their FB profiles to just contact info. I feel like that's a better alternative to getting rid of it all together, because it lets people know how to actually get hold of you.