Article May 29, 2000 Issue

Disarm jealousy

There's plenty of good to go around.

By Elaine R. Follis

"Here's a remedy for jealousy," my friend told her daughter, a freshman in a highly competitive collegiate program. At that, I pricked up my ears. I've frequently encountered professional rivalries in my own life, and a way to eliminate all that discord sounded very appealing. The discussion centered around a passage from Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures where Mary Baker Eddy comments on the Biblical account of a family tragedy. She writes, "Jealous of his brother's gift, Cain seeks Abel's life, instead of making his own gift a higher tribute to the Most High" (p. 541). My friend's point was that, whenever jealous feelings surface, the best response is always to offer a "higher tribute" to God.

A tribute is a specific type of gift that acknowledges dependence upon another and is characterized by qualities of respect, gratitude, or affection. My study of the Bible has convinced me that, whether one realizes it or not, every individual depends upon God, the only creator, for life itself. Offering a higher tribute to God is not a function of human talent, nor is such a tribute measured in terms of worldly accolades. Rather, the highest tribute flows from the deepest humility, from acknowledging God as the source of all good and giving God all the glory.

It sometimes seems that certain people have more to offer—more talent, more creativity, more intelligence, or more strength—than others. But in truth every individual is the complete idea of God, as inseparable from the creator as a reflection is from its original. If we believe that we are acting on our own, our capacities may appear quite inadequate. But the moment we realize that we are God's image, with all the intelligence and power of God at the heart of our very nature, we learn that nothing we need to accomplish is beyond us. We discover, as did St. Paul, that "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me" (Phil. 4:13).

Send a comment to the editors

NEXT IN THIS ISSUE

Article

CAIN IS JEALOUS OF HIS BROTHER'S GIFT