Inflatable Envy.

Dodger:  Hello again!  How has life been for you this last week?  Have you been anywhere cool or done anything fun?  I hope you've been enjoying yourself.

Lilly:  I've been having a blast.  This week I'm just going to sort of take it easy.  There's not a lot on my plate, and I kind of like it that way.

Dodger:  I would too.  You know, I wish my schedule was simple.  I've got a bunch of stuff I need to take care of this week.

Lilly:  Oh, really?  I'm sorry.

Dodger:  Oh, it's not a big problem.  I hope it doesn't sound like I'm complaining, because it's all for a good cause.  I'm volunteering at the local food bank, then at the animal shelter, and then I'll be doing a song at Church on John the Baptist.  I need to prepare to get all those things done, so I have a lot on my plate.

Lilly: Well that makes sense.  By the way, did we get any mail today?

Dodger:  Um, let me check the inbox.  I don't see anything there...oh wait!

Lilly:  What is it?

Dodger:  It's a link to someone's blog.

Lilly:  Say what?

Dodger:  It looks like someone has a post and we're supposed to respond to it somehow.

Lilly:  Oh.  Well, what does it say?

Dodger:  See for yourself.*

Lilly:  Yikes.  This individual seems pretty unhappy.

Dodger:  No doubt.  Wait, I just saw a message at the end of the email.  It says: "Dear Dodger and Lilly, I am the frustrated blogger who wrote this post.  I'm a little embarrassed about it, but wanted you to see it because it helps explain how I feel.  I know I'm probably wrong, but am not sure why, and my frustration is still eating away at me.  Can you please explain what I need to do?  Thanks, Irk D."

Lilly:  I think Irk's problem can be diagnosed pretty quickly. 

Dodger:  I don't quite see it.  What is it?

Lilly:  In a word, it's envy, a discontented wish to have what others have.  Irk believes he is just as deserving as Judy of the opportunity to lead others in worshiping God, and because he isn't getting it, he's angry.

Dodger:  I suppose I'd be upset too if things never went as I thought they should.

Lilly:  I'm confident we all would.  Still, that doesn't necessarily make it a good thing.  What Irk needs to learn is a little humility.

Dodger:  Beg pardon?

Lilly:  You know, he needs to let go of pride.

Dodger:  Um...what?

Lilly:  Well, did you notice that he writes "I can sing just as well..."?  The idea he has is that his talent entitles him to lead others.  He probably can sing well, but unfortunately, that doesn't entitle him to have all the same privileges as Judy.  Plus, he's not alone.  We all need to learn some humility, and I  just thought of a story that might be helpful for Irk.  It's about Moses and his siblings, Miriam and Aaron.  Would you look up Numbers 12?

Dodger:  Sure.  Should I start just reading from the beginning?

Lilly:  Yes please.

Dodger:  Okay.  Let's see here.  "Then Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married; for he had married an Ethiopian woman.  So they said, “Has the Lord indeed spoken only through Moses? Has He not spoken through us also?” And the Lord heard it.  (Now the man Moses was very humble, more than all men who were on the face of the earth.)  Suddenly the Lord said to Moses, Aaron, and Miriam, “Come out, you three, to the tabernacle of meeting!” So the three came out.  Then the Lord came down in the pillar of cloud and stood in the door of the tabernacle, and called Aaron and Miriam. And they both went forward. (v. 1-5 NKJV)

I have a feeling God isn't happy with these two people.

Lilly:  Well, you're right.  Did you notice, though, that Miriam and Aaron were both criticizing Moses and pretty much saying "God speaks through us too, you know!"?

Dodger:  I did notice those things.  They seem to think that they have the right to criticize Moses because God speaks through them too.

Lilly:  Right.  It's this mistaken attitude that leads God to say the following.  Picking up at verse 6:

Then He said,

“Hear now My words:
If there is a prophet among you,
I, the Lord, make Myself known to him in a vision;
I speak to him in a dream.
Not so with My servant Moses;
He is faithful in all My house.
I speak with him face to face,
Even plainly, and not in dark sayings;
And he sees the form of the Lord.
Why then were you not afraid
To speak against My servant Moses?”

So the anger of the Lord was aroused against them, and He departed. (v. 6-9 NKJV)

Dodger:  Yikes.  That would be both embarrassing and a little frightening.

Lilly:  Perhaps so.  Notice that God talks to them exactly about their justification for criticizing Moses, and essentially debunks it by telling them about how closely he speaks to Moses.  It's not wise for them to compare themselves because they aren't given the same gift.  The prideful statement that "Moses isn't any better than me" was the result of both of them mistakenly comparing themselves to Moses.  Even though Moses wasn't any better, it was because God made us all equal.  He gives us different gifts, not so we can compare them to the gifts that others have, but so that we can be bettered in them.

Dodger:  I see.  So what happened next?

Lilly:  This. "And when the cloud departed from above the tabernacle, suddenly Miriam became leprous, as white as snow. Then Aaron turned toward Miriam, and there she was, a leper.  So Aaron said to Moses, “Oh, my lord! Please do not lay this sin on us, in which we have done foolishly and in which we have sinned. (v. 10-11 NKJV)

Dodger:  Wait.  Miriam was a leper?

Lilly:  Unfortunately.  Leprosy is an awful skin disease which in those days usually killed those who had it.

Dodger:  You're not saying she died, are you?

Lilly:  No.  Moses prayed for her, and afterwards she was shut out of the camp for a week. God healed her, and the people moved on.

Dodger:  So it all worked out.

Lilly:  Yes.  Did you see, though, how pride can get us into trouble?  It made Miriam really sick, just as Irk is sick with envy.

Dodger:  Oh, now I'm beginning to see it.

Lilly:  God doesn't want us to be so confident in ourselves that we forget to focus on him.  When we start making ourselves a big deal instead of remembering Who God is, and that He loves us and takes care of us, we start making some bad choices and having worse attitudes.  What you need, Irk, to cure your envy of Judy is twofold.  First, ask God for forgiveness for your heart attitude, and then remember how specially He has gifted you.  Maybe you'll get to lead others in singing one day, or maybe not.  It won't change how valuable you are to Him.  He loves you the same, and wants you to be you and serve Him, not try to be "just as good as" other people and forget to glorify Him.

Dodger:  That's good advice.  Wow, time sure does fly.  Thanks for coming by this week.  It was a pleasure to have you.  Remember, Jesus loves you, and that's not about to change!

Lilly:  Bye!

(NKJV Means New King James Version)

*The "blog post" by the frustrated blogger is actually written by this blog's author, and was not excerpted from another blog without the author's permission.  Just in case you were wondering :)