Envy makes the bones rot!

Proverbs 14:30 says, “A tranquil heart gives life to the flesh, but envy makes the bones rot.”

This reminds us of the power of a tranquil heart and the destructive nature of envy.  When our hearts are at peace, we experience a sense of inner calm that can spread to those around us.  Not being able to control a person’s emotions will affect his physical condition. Medical science today knows that a person with a healthy disposition probably will have a healthier body also.

The verse emphasizes that having a tranquil heart is not just about being content with our own circumstances, but also being at peace with the circumstances of others.  It encourages us to cultivate empathy and compassion towards others, allowing us to care for their well-being genuinely.

On the other hand, envy is described as something that rots the bones.  It’s a toxic emotion that harms us and affects our relationships with others.  The idea of envy is sometimes expressed as jealousy, a resentful longing for something possessed or enjoyed by someone else.   Is there a person, or maybe people, in your life today that you envy, because they have certain things, or have a particular kind of life, position, comfort, or success?  And as you maximize what they have, are you also minimizing how they got it?  Who have they stepped on?  Who or what they neglected?  The parts of their soul they had to “sell” to succeed? That isn’t always the case, but it can be.  I dealt with this a lot in the early stages of my career.  I was envious of how others were getting ahead that I started managing people the same way to help my chances of promotion.  Oh, how I was mistaken.

There is a huge contrast between the two parts of this verse.  A tranquil heart is a healthy heart.  It is grateful and content.  Then there is the rotting nature of envy.  How easy it is to be overcome with envy. When we take what we have for granted, when discontentment simmers inside us, telling us nothing is good enough.  Our hearts are narrowly focused on our own good, we are incredibly vulnerable to that old, old lie that always begins with the same two words: “If only…” “If only I had what she has…” “If only I were in his position…”

Take the time today to praise God for all you have and who you are in His eyes.  Do not judge yourself and your possessions and position in life based on others.  It will give you peace, and with that comes a tranquil heart.