23. Crabs In A Misery Bucket: Envy, Excellence And Perfectionism Part 2
Part 2: Crabs In A Misery Bucket
A tranquil heart gives life to the flesh, but envy makes the bones rot.
Proverbs 14:30
Welcome back to the last week of a two part series of publications that will be discussing the issues of envy, excellence, perfectionism, performance and good works- how we often (intentionally or unintentionally) mix these up, and what we can do about it.
To get caught up and read the first publication, read here.
I recently listened to the audiobook version of a book written by Tilly Dillehay’s Seeing Green: Don’t Let Envy Color Your Joy, and something it reminded me of is the false piety that people will use to disguise their own envy of others with. (I wrote more about the concept of false piety among women in a past article linked here).
An example of what I would call envy disguised as false piety is when we see someone doing well or being good at something, and instead of being happy for that person, or feeling motivated to step up our own efforts, we feel inferior (the beginning of envy). Then, instead of dealing with that envy, we attribute false motives to that person, either secretly or openly.
On one hand, people will do it to try to feel better about themselves. But it is mostly because envy often leads to the desire to destroy (if I can’t have that, then nobody can, so it must be destroyed). It’s here that people can take it upon themselves to be the “piety police.” It’s easy to get away with this because it seems Godly on the surface, and it’s less overt than “well, I’m envious so I’m just going to try to tear this all to the ground.” Who would ever want to admit when they’re are envious, anyways?
The envy is disguised with “pious” comments like “maybe the Lord wants you to slow down at that skill you’ve learned,” or “you should focus on having a Mary heart in a Martha world” or “don’t become prideful because you know how to XYZ, or because you have this nice thing.
Continued Below…
With Black Friday and Cyber Monday behind us, and Christmas around the corner, we are pivoting from finding the best sales, deals and budget friendly gifts, to finding that splurge worthy gift that will surprise them on Christmas Day.
Whether you’re looking for skincare for him or for a walking mat to get those steps in while working from home, here are my splurge worthy gift ideas for everyone… some I actually have myself!
Bialetti x Dolce & Gabanna Moka Pot Espresso Maker/ Le Labo Inc Styling Pomade/ Super Smalls Toy Beaded Jewelry Kit/ Double Walled Pint & Pilsner Glasses/ Portable Tabletop Ping Pong/ Dyson Hairdryer/ Home Composter/ Fit Bit/ Agent Nateur Firming & Plumping Mineral Face Sunscreen
Collapsible Wagon/ Magna-Tiles/ Ralph’s Coffee Water Bottle/ Chanel Coco Madamoiselle Perfume/ WiFi Digital Photo Frame/ Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution Lipstick/ Indoor Playground/ UGG Beanie And Bootie Set For Babies/ Solar Generator With Backup Lithium Battery