Jealousy- reflections on Genesis37:1-5, 31-35

When Joseph's brothers became jealous of him, there were a few contributing factors to how that came about.
1. Their father's favouritism
2. The content of Joseph's dreams and the implications therein that reinforced the idea gained from their fathers favouritism ,that they were somehow less valued.

If Joseph's dreams were of an abstract nature that did not infer his older brother's bowing down to him etc, maybe their jealousy would not have raged quite as high. But there was the matter of the beautiful coat as well, a constant visual reminder that their father paid special attention to Joseph.

Joseph's brothers are accountable to God for their attitude towards the situation in their family life. Their jealousy left unchecked led them to contemplate murder, and they actually went as far as selling Joseph into slavery.
But God's plan was unfolding, and He still brought about Joseph's rise to be the second most powerful official in the Egyptian government, second to Pharaoh.
What God had already deposited in Joseph unfolded over time to show very clearly that he was a man of integrity. His character and commitment to God, brought him blessings and an elevation to higher levels.
However, he had to walk through very tough trials and times. It was in distinguishing himself during those trials that qualified him to receive the blessing God had already set for him.

I must keep this principle clear in my mind. God has His own plan for my life, my main job is to submit to Him and ensure that in the place of trial, that my yieldedness will bring about Godly character. I can see from the Joseph story that I must not submit to the normal feelings of jealousy that may arise in various situations. I must do well to be sensitive to the feelings of jealousy, and check any unGodly attitude generated from this.

If there is a message through other people's attitudes and words that I am less valued, I must view those received ideas in the light of what God says about me. As long as I focus on the truth about what God says about me, I cannot be tempted by hurtful words and behaviour of others, or by feelings of inadequacy when my juniors or peers succeed beyond my own accomplishments in one area of their lives or other.
It is clear to me that absolutely no one has it all. Everybody must face one challenge or other, and challenges can sometimes come in series. This is a fact of life. I realise that the people I may be envying in one regard will certainly have some crushing challenge that I cannot see. Everyone must walk their own path. I must walk my own path and live with the negative outcomes of my earlier bad decisions, and any disappointments those lead to. I must take responsibility for my own part in the outcomes of my life. I must recognise the unwanted outcomes which arise out of situations that are not of my making. I must trust God to carry me through both my self made troubles and those thrust upon me by life.

Prayer:
Lord God, forgive me for envy and jealousy towards other people who have attained success in areas where I deem myself to have failed. Forgive me Lord for loosing focus of who I am in you.