Envy has a bad rep (and it’s earned it). Religions and belief systems around the world all agree that envy destroys the heart. It’s a universal understanding.

Wanting things we do not have and believing that we can’t be happy until we obtain them destroys us. A heart that is at peace brings life to the body, but a heart full of envy creates decay.

Though envy exists in all of our personalities, giving it space in our hearts will leave us forever dissatisfied. Not only does envy destroy us, it also ensures that we will not get what we want because we will never be satisfied while being driven by it.

However, just because a weed (envy) exists in a garden (our personalities) doesn’t mean we need to fertilize it. We have power over envy. It can grow like a fertilized weed or it can be uprooted every time it tries to grow back.

As bad as envy’s reputation is, it has a purpose that -when identified- can be used to light a fire within us that leads us to great advances in our lives.

Each of us has a heart full of desire. The difference between envy and desire is that envy focuses outward and desire focuses inward. To hone in on the desires of our hearts we must focus inward. You have a responsibility to your heart’s desires. They exist within you for a reason and they have to be protected. When you allow envy to grow weeds of anger and hate within your heart you are putting your heart’s desires at risk of being overrun and killed off by the enemy of envy.

Take pride in yourself without comparing yourself to others. Action is the only way out of an envy overgrowth in your heart. Stop focusing on what others have and take responsibility for your own life.

Q: What have you seen envy do to your life or the life of someone else?