Article November 4, 1996 Issue

Defense against envy

Charles T. Allison

While I was working in a large corporation I was given a rating that had a generous monetary value. Following this recognition, a fellow employee became envious, and this led to unsettled and strained conditions.

The situation called for prayer. I began by asking to know God's presence and to understand more thoroughly His practical law, which would correct any inharmony. I prayed to know the presence of divine Love, which unites all people in brotherhood.

My promotion had come about by practicing the truths I was learning through the study of Christian Science. They enabled me to express qualities of Spirit—vigor and strength—in my work. I knew that evil of any kind does not come from God and so could have no part in man. This helped me to realize that envy was not really natural to my co-worker since he had the same spiritual nature as I did. Science and Health says, "Your advancing course may provoke envy, but it will also attract respect" (p. 452). What is envy, and what do we need to know concerning it? Envy is mindless mesmerism, a counterfeit premise that man can be separated from God and thus be incomplete, unhappy, and unfulfilled. By accepting this false premise as real, we may believe our wholeness can be found in or taken away by another's qualities, attainments, and rewards.

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