Humanity’s Desire to Envy Leads to God’s Gentle Forgiveness

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I am certainly, like any other person of the flesh, a sinner who has many sins that are externally or internally apparent in my life. However, I only recently realized which sin I struggle with most. There is a strong argument that this sin is so subconscious that, in our current society, we all struggle with it the most: the sin of envy.

Merriam-Webster defines envy as “painful or resentful awareness of an advantage enjoyed by another joined with a desire to possess the same advantage.”

We can easily look at social media or our physical social sphere and find ourselves in a position where we are significantly struggling with the desire for things we do not have. In a world where there is more variety in meeting certain life stages than ever before, it is common to see people envy life stages that they are not in. And in many cases, there are certainly others who are in such an “idealistic” stage who wish they were in the state of the initial envier. In short, we all have desires in our lives that go unmet.

And being frustrated about a specific desire in our life is not sinful in itself; it is the manner in which we manifest that envy, often spouting jealousy towards that other person, and not turning that request to God. Gavin Ortlund (PhD, Fuller) notes in a recent sermon, notes that the author of Psalm 73, Asaph, was far from content with his life’s trajectory, often noting those who are actively, or even living life in opposition of God, are having their desires fulfill that this psalmist, Asaph, was far from content with his life’s trajectory, often noting that those who are actively, or even living life in opposition to God, are having their desires met more quickly than Asaph.

Ortlund notes that envy is often so destructive because it prevents us from being thankful to God for what we have and robs us of experiencing joy in Christ. Which, consequently, often leads us to seek other sources of manufactured temporary satisfaction—à la sinning further.

Human nature is drawn to destructive fleshly desires because we often lack trust that God will make our lives whole. This complex goes all the way back to the Garden of Eden in Genesis. Adam found himself in a position where he felt that his discernment of understanding good and evil superseded his trust in God. My father, Warren Anderson (DWS, Webber Institute of Worship Studies), often suggests that this is complex and needs to strengthen our “trust muscle.”-*

So in the midst of facing devastating sin, we often may find ourselves in a position to feel that God is distant, or that he is going to express anger and wrath for our sinful choices. Although God’s wrath certainly exists, Dane Ortlund (PhD, Wheaton—and yes, brother of Gavin) argues that God’s wrath is not presented to the remorseful believer. The elder Ortlund argues in his text, Gentle and Lowly, that Jesus reveals his heart publicly only once in the Gospels, when he says in Matthew.

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. (Matthew 11:28-30, ESV)

Jesus approaches the remorseful sinner with a mindset of gentleness and lowliness, not in a state of wrath. Dane Ortlund describes Jesus’ compassion as “if the actions of Jesus are reflective of who he most deeply is, we cannot avoid the conclusion that it is the very fallenness which he came to undo that is the most irresistibly attractive to him” (p. 30 of Gentle and Lowly).   

I take away four insights from the Ortlund brothers that certainly intertwine; however, I will isolate them below to emphasize each point’s significance.

Reverence—we need to remind ourselves of the awe of God’s power, love, passion, and forgiveness, and of our goal on earth: to enjoy God’s blessings and point others to the Kingdom to come. Several faithful brothers and mentors in my life suggest reciting a short, summary version of the gospel in our minds each morning as a reminder of our daily purpose and motivation.

Rest—In order to truly experience a solid reverence, while also truly understanding how gentle and lowly the Lord is (see the aforementioned passage), there needs to be a posture of rest that reminds us of the gentle and lowly nature of Christ.    

Thankfulness—Gavin Ortlund, in his sermon, noted that keeping our minds on the Lord in the midst of trials and frustrations is certainly the most formidable answer for putting our minds in the right headspace, in which setting our minds on Christ far supersedes the specific circumstances we are currently in. It has long been said that anxiety or worry cannot exist simultaneously. I would like to add envy to that equation, because a sole focus on God removes us from negativity in our own circumstances.

In fact, Dr. Rob Currie (PhD, St. Louis) noted in his sermon at Solid Rock Church yesterday that God’s goodness is not based on our personal situations. Which, at one level, seems harsh, but simultaneously is such a rewarding revelation to realize that the goodness of God far supersedes anything we can experience on earth. Psychologist James Mercer notes that removing recurring sin patterns does not occur by trying to will the habit away, but rather by conceptualizing beyond the simple encounter and creating a mindset that the goodness of God’s desire for us is beyond the temporary joy that sin provides. Which, I’d argue, is an expression of thanksgiving: that our desire and mindset for Christ lead us not to desire worldly things, as noted in Colossians 3:2.

Mercy—it encapsulates many of the aforementioned concepts, including compassion, grace, kindness, and gentleness. God provides this to those who commune with him. God proves his faithfulness by providing new mercies every morning (see Lamentations 3:2). His compassion and grace are evident in our lives, and he is constantly gentle and lowly with us, whether we are attuned to it or not.

I invite you to join me in challenging ourselves to be aware of God’s presence in our lives daily, which, in turn, will help us envy less and be thankful for God’s gentleness and lowliness.

*-Flexing the “trust muscle” has been an additional challenge for me due to my personal health journey, which a thorough explanation of my experiences can be found on the first episode of the Minds of Meaning Podcast.

Meekness and the Fruits of the Spirit 

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Our society continues to change significantly, as mentioned in a previous post. Society continues to prioritize financial growth over more fulfilling, life-giving values. I have recently pondered whether my passions, faith, and community involvement have any impact or value in our current society. My career path of entering higher education, with a modest salary and a desire to discuss issues in depth and engage in critical thinking together, seems to be losing value in society. Oftentimes, I witness argumentative tendencies over kindness, self-interest over goodness, and presumed security (and worrying) over faith. 

I will admit that many of these cultural influences have crept into my life over the last decade, and they have led me to be less joyful, become more anxious, and lack an attuned ear for spiritual guidance to help me through times of difficulty and uncertainty. Thankfully, as I have had more time to reflect this summer, I have been enjoying Christ Community Church (CCC)’s recent sermon series, Fruitful People in a Thorny World, which has provided me with a renewed context on the fruits of the spirit, as noted in Galatians 5:22-23 (ESV):  

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” 

Although our society continues to engage in public feuds over morality, especially in the online sphere, there is still a need to remain a light in a world of darkness. CCC Teaching Pastor Clayton Keenon mentioned in the first sermon of the series that, in the midst of division, we are to approach conflict with meekness. But we must then learn what meekness is, and how it is not weakness.  

Desiring God defines meekness as first trusting God, which will lead us to adopt a posture of understanding that we submit all our worries, plans, work, health, and other concerns to him. Then, with the understanding that we are to be patient in the Lord’s timing, we do not act quickly out of frustration or the perception of false security; rather, we wait to judge, in a posture of learning and seeking wisdom in several areas of life.  

Although meekness does not pounce at the first opportunity to act or comment in numerous situations, that does not mean that such a person is weak. Weakness is defined by Merriam-Webster as a fault or a defect. Although it is countercultural to take time to process in a world of instantaneous actions, an effort to wait, process, and continue learning is different and will be a witness to a worry-crazed world. Jesus even mentioned in Matthew 5:  

“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5, ESV).  

This does not mean that we should not defend the faith, but we should learn to be at peace with our understanding, share it with others in interpersonal settings, and avoid becoming combative in argumentative conversations (in a variety of contexts). If we desire to be meek, then the other fruits of the spirit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control—will become more evident in our lives. 

We are Stewards, Not Owners 

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I often find it easy to compare myself to others in terms of salary, housing, relationship status, living situations, life goals, and many other aspects. Many lives I covet, many I don’t, but the reality is that when I simply put my mind in a mindset of conquering the obstacles of my own individual universe, there is always some element of that pursuit that is unfulfilling. From what I gather, others feel similarly.  

Similar enough that I have heard several sermons that have dealt with some aspect of resetting our minds to live in the mindset Christ calls us to.  

Pastor Brad Wetherell, senior pastor of the Orchard (Chicago), focused this week’s sermon on Matthew 16:21-28, discussing the cost of discipleship. Jesus modeled the cost of discipleship by giving up his own earthly life to save the souls of those who believe in the triune God. We, as Christians, must follow Jesus by surrendering our entire lives to him, to the point of denying ourselves the perceived rights we have and opening our hands to allow God to encounter us with His holy perspective.  

Wetherell notes from verse 26 (“For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul?” [ESV]) the idea that we should not be so focused on the path of this world to the point that we are anxious, flustered, and worried about how we are to continue in this world by being protective of what we “own.”  

James 5 shares similar undertones to Matthew 16: earthly possessions will be worth nothing in the afterlife. Recently, at Solid Rock Church in Elgin, IL, Dr. Bill Doran cited the parable of the pearl (Matthew 13:45-46) in his sermon. Doran’s elaborated recitation of this story features a man saw a pearl in a jewelry shop and asked how much it cost, the jeweler replies that it will cost everything that he specifically owns. The man goes home and brings forth all of his possessions, and the jeweler gives the man the pearl. Additionally, the man returns all the possessions to the man but says he must steward the sold possessions as the jeweler deems necessary.  

The jeweler certainly represents Jesus in this story, and it is a great illustration that we need the pearl of salvation to receive the greatest gift of all: our salvation. But in exchange, we must surrender ourselves to God’s mission in order to live like Christ. 

This story may not be new to many readers, but I believe Christians often undersell how much we are to fully surrender to live the Christian walk. It is a daily call that we need to remind ourselves of. 

One can apply to their call by providing attention in addition to intention. Rick Williams, Judson University’s director of athletics, lives by this mantra, meaning that we should not only intend to do what God calls us to do, but also be present and pay attention to the current moment. As it says in Matthew 6:34 (ESV), “[t]herefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” 

Discerning how to live Godly in the present moment will play a significant role in transforming our lives and enabling a holy mindset. As Wetherell said to conclude his sermon, “Remember that whatever it costs, you will gain infinitely more.”  

Community, Risk, and Relationships: Connecting with Others in 2026 

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I have felt a newer, unexpected sense of anxiety ever since turning 30 last year that was hard to pinpoint. In a similar way to when I first turned 18, I felt that 30 ushered in a new era I was not ready to embark on. There is certainly some level of concern that I am not as young as I used to be, and I will only get older from here, but that did not satisfy my understanding of why I had an additional level of concern that I had not had before.

However, I believe I finally identified the source of this anxiety last night while listening to the most recent episode of The Holy Post Podcast. Phil Vischer, Skye Jethani, and Kaitlyn Schiess were prompted to discuss understanding value and purpose following a recent article by David Brooks in The New York Times. The discussion on the Holy Post led to some observations I think are worth noting regarding any relationship effort required in what Brooks calls “The Great Detachment.”

What Brooks discussed, and The Holy Post elaborated on, was the idea that many younger people feel that the risks often associated with life, specifically the investment in relationships, can lead to concerns that may push people away from creating avenues of vulnerability. Over the last 20 years, our culture has seen a significant shift in cultural understandings of the value of organized love of country, religion, birth rates, and involvement in different communities. Instead, the only value that has grown in modern American society is financial growth.

With fall of these generally perceived positive morals, the rise of self-fulfillment through finances, and the ability to compare our situations with others thanks to social media, our society tends to over-evaluate the physical risks of what a long-term sustained relationship—certainly could be romantic, but even a strong sibling-like friendship with another person—instead of building such relationships with the understanding of the potential risks of such relationships, including a health concern or death, a financial strain, the inability to leave such relationship to connect with other individuals, and the risks continue on and on. Brooks’s conclusion is that, instead of trying to be self-sufficient through a materialistic, uncertain viewpoint, the only way to sustain attachment is through relationship development.

I certainly related to the aforementioned points. I see the effort my sister and brother-in-law have to put into raising my baby nephew, or good friends struggling through relationship concerns, and I personally do not envy those situations, and thus, I realize that these situations that I have previously romanticized about (no pun intended) actually are new found sources of anxiety for me in addition to similar anxieties that include fears on my end that I will be less valued in relationships due to my nonprofit salary and student loan debt that I hold; therefore, I feel like that I should not put forward the risk of these potential issues arising. Additionally, that is partly why, honestly, I am probably not as motivated to get into shape or continue towards a path of self-improvement in other facets as I have been previously, because I have experienced similar situations in which I made a strong effort to “fix myself,” and it did not have as many life-altering (good) consequences as I had anticipated.

Our society is not normalizing risk in today’s world, as data on modern American values suggest that transactional relationships are on the rise and transformational relationships are continuing to decline. Jethani and Schiess, however, argue that Christians are called to a countercultural risk perspective. A Godly life is meant to have relationships with vulnerability. Jethani cites Alan Noble’s Text, Getting Out of Bed: The Burden and Gift of Living, to suggest that our motivation to get out of bed is simply to fulfill others’ dependence on us. 1 Peter 4:8-10 (NIV) states, “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.”

Relationships are truly the only thing that matters in this life, as they are the only thing that we can take up to heaven. Since we are made in God’s own image, we are called to have relationships that God designed us to have with one another. God modeled this perfectly through the sacrificial death and resurrection of His son, so that we may commune with Him directly.

Not all of us are extroverted or are confident in building additional relationships in our lives beyond the bare minimum. Some of us may not even want to continue associating ourselves with our family members or once close friends—some of these situations are dangerous, and let us not invite that danger back into our lives. However, if there is a path for safe reconciliation in those relationships, know that God is with us in these situations. Regardless of your situation, know that his grace is endless and will help us push through the risks to continue growing our capacity to build authentic relationships.

Authenticity: The Antithesis of People-Pleasing 

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The beginning of a new semester has come upon us. There are new routines, new opportunities, and new perspectives. As I have entered a semester with certainly different routines and opportunities, I feel that God has given me some new perspectives on how to live effectively going forward.  

I have spent a lot of time in my life trying to please others, whether that is gaining lifelong friends, winning over professors and coworkers, or, of course, wooing potential significant others. Living that life can have its rewards, especially when specific personal actions lead to specific outcomes (including losing 60 pounds over a summer to successfully gain a significant other for my senior year in college); however, I have come to learn that the vast majority of these perceived controllable situations are actually quite the opposite.  

After processing and consulting with trusted individuals, I realized I had been struggling with people-pleasing. In essence, I was playing mind games with myself to appease others based on what I thought they desired from me, which, in turn, would have somehow given me more value.  

If I even move the scope back further, I realize that I often rated my life by trying to reach specific milestones within a certain time period, in order to meet some unrealistic “American Dream” standard, so that I would be further successful in society.  

On the outside, I seem to have a lot in order. I am a de facto department chair of a communications department at a four-year institution; I am pursuing a doctoral degree; I am a worship leader; I have plenty of loving family and friends; I have many enjoyable hobbies; and, most importantly, I have an all-knowing God overseeing my life. Yet, deep down, the insecurities of my life have continued to creep up on me. Those include significant student loan debt, not owning my own place yet being single, and holding theological/philosophical perspectives different from those of many others I interact with daily, among others. 

So, if my approach to “catch up” and living “normally” like others is not going to be successful, what mindset would help me live for Christ more boldly and confidently?  

I began reading Everything Connects by Faisal Hoque and Drake Baer. There are many elements in this book that, despite being secular, draw on principles first articulated in Christian thought. Most notably, living authentically.  

It says in 2 Timothy 2:15 (ESV) “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.”

If I were to define authenticity before reading Hoque and Baer, I would say that authenticity is everything in a society that encourages vulnerability. What the authors add to such a definition is a guidance element to authenticity: how we discern the knowledge of certain life situations, also known as wisdom.  

Instead of focusing on comparing myself to others, I have come to realize that I need to live authentically—or relish my unique traits, ideas, and perspectives, because God made all of us uniquely and individually. I do not need to love any sinless activity any less just to cater to how others perceive the world. I can still love sports to the level of my youth; I can enjoy ’60s-’80s pop, soft rock, and R&B; I can continue to enjoy line dancing; I can still enjoy thinking deeply, regardless of what my peers and other people in my sphere say, think, or do. As Hoque and Baer mention, we should focus on being connective in our conversations rather than protective of our perceptions. If we are not in a place where we can truly be ourselves, I believe we need to re-examine the situations we get involved in.    

God has challenged me over the years to be my authentic self, which includes sharing my story with others and, hopefully, doing more public speaking and book writing in the future.  I do not need to live life in a cookie-cutter way, but in a way that is honoring and pleasing to him and lets the world know of his glory.  

Even if I have trained my brain to engrain previous, untrue tendencies, God has given us the ability to change our thinking to the point that we can change our brain waves if we take steps to change our thinking (also called neuroplasticity). It says in Romans 12:2 (ESV) “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”  

There is time for us to renew our minds. There is time to change our perspective from worrying about living as the world wants us to, to living as God has wired us, so we can live unashamedly for the kingdom. And who knows, maybe all of the things that we worry that we need to control, God will show his provision when we are least expecting it, as we know he always provides us with what we need, as it states in Philippians (4:19).  

Thus, a good charge for us can come in the words of Pastor Dan Cox from Wonder Lake Bible Church, who, recently, in his 25th anniversary sermon ended the sermon with the following “Because God has shown himself faithful in every way- by His nature, by His promises, and to His people- we can trust Him enough to live faithfully, love deeply, and serve wholeheartedly.”  

Note: Several excerpts from this post were taken from discussion board replies from Regent University coursework.  

Understanding Modern Communication Through The Lens of Comedy

Lately, we have been fortunate enough to have what I believe are the generation’s best two comics, Nathan Fielder (Rehearsal, Season 2) and Tim Robinson (Friendship, full-length movie), released original content in May. To say we’re spoiled is an understatement. Additionally, both of these recent works have really helped us appreciate why they are great pieces of art.

Both comedians really toy with the idea of cringeworthy and/or awkward communication. In a society where in-person verbal and nonverbal communication continues to decline, both comedians effectively lean into this concept.

Fielder has focused more on addressing awkward communication moments and utilizing his “Fielder Method” to help learn about his subjects’ verbal and non-verbal tendencies. At the same time, Robinson expresses all the inner thoughts that we all have had from time to time, albeit in a humerously great exaggeration.

I am currently enrolled in a Global Leadership course where we are discussing different cultural communication frameworks. The communication framework that America and many Western nations currently exhibit is a “Linear-Active” culture — one in which we are focused on a specific timeframe and agenda in our communication with one another. Both comedians push that boundary, and inadvertently (or maybe intentionally in Fielder’s case) challenge the status quo in communication styles. Arguably, both push “Reactive” culture tendencies, where opinions are formed based on listening to others before forming strong opinions.

This is why it makes sense that I have been enjoying West Coast Swing. The whole dance is based on hearing the counts of the music, “listening” to your partner, and then reacting within the dance. It is a very potent form of non-verbal communication.

My good friend, Pastor Zac Yonko (MDiv, Ashland), noted the theological connections.

From a pastoral perspective, I think there’s a beautiful theological layer here. The gospel is ultimately a story of divine communication — God choosing to enter our awkward, broken, miscommunicating world through the Word made flesh. Jesus didn’t avoid cringe; He entered it. He touched lepers, asked hard questions, told disruptive parables, and wept in front of people. That’s the kind of non-linear, reactive, embodied presence of both comedians.

Satire, when done well, doesn’t just critique; it invites repentance and curiosity. And maybe, in a world of endless noise and scripted agendas, what we need most is the humility to listen — to the Spirit, to one another, even to absurdity — and to laugh our way back to being human again.

Although both Fielder and Robinson are using humor to exploit modern communication tendencies. Satire may very well be the most effective form of learning how to communicate in the 21st century.

Episode 15: Jason Romano of Sports Spectrum

Jason Romano is the executive producer of the Sports Spectrum Podcast, which has been around for the last seven years and highlights Christians in the sports industry through podcast episodes, magazines, and website content. He shares about his love of Christ, how he interacts with athletes in the sports industry, and gives a few tips about how to be successful in sports media.  

Is Politics Influencing our Faith? Or is our Faith Influencing our Politics?

To my fellow believers in Christ,

I have been debating on posting this for a week, and after processing and thinking through it, I think this message could be a good reminder for all of us, regardless of how we felt about the election or what “side” we stood on.

For full transparency, I chose to write in a candidate, so I’m trying to approach this as unbiasedly as possible. This is not a stance that I plan to take every election from here on out, but I think this election especially is a good reminder that political parties are man-made institutions.

As believers, we could be reminded at times that we should check our processing of politics to ensure that it comes from a Christ-centered perspective instead of letting our human politics influence our faith walk.

If the foundation of our faith truly guided us to vote for a particular presidential candidate–whether a Democrat, Republican, or third party/write-in–fantastic! I believe that fulfills our civic duty and honors our authority as Christ calls us to do.

However, let us self-examine ourselves to see if we are processing our viewpoints from a Christ-centered perspective or letting our political viewpoints shape how we process our relationship with God.

And it’s not easy; I am trying to discern this as well, and I have honestly fallen short several times listening to content leaning towards both leading political platforms in this country and then making a spiritual judgment from someone’s interpretation as opposed to getting my worldview from the bible, so please don’t see this as an exhortation.

This is not to say that I don’t have convictions that align with specific platforms; I most certainly do. But it has become easy to align ourselves completely with one platform or another before really thinking deeply about how Jesus would approach a particular situation.

I have tried to do this recently: If I am looking for spiritual content to process and ponder, I try to ensure that it is from a) the Bible, most notably, or b) a church or a well-reputable Christian source that cites the Bible (your home church, etc.).

If I am looking for political content, I will try to listen to political podcasts and compare that to my understanding of what I believe the Lord wants from our world.

In other words, I try not to understand (insert political social media pundit here) as a theologian, and I try not to understand (insert pastoral/theologian figure here) as a political pundit.

And no party or political system is perfect and will never be this side of eternity.

Let’s continue to exercise our freedom and privilege of voting (we are a rare generation of people who have had the freedom to choose our leaders during our lifetimes, so thank God for that) and even go as far as being passionate about our politics. However, we must ensure that we utilize our faith as our compass for how we vote and engage in politics, as opposed to processing voting from a “worldly” viewpoint.

Let’s not forget that we should continue to be kind to one another. Show compassion and grace to those who do not see eye to eye with you politically.

God Bless.

Communication & Educational Leadership Series Episode 5: Dr. Sara Shaban

Dr. Sara Shaban is an assistant professor of journalism at Seattle Pacific University, a CCCU (coalition of Christian colleges and universities) school just miles northwest of downtown Seattle.  Prior to receiving her PhD, Shaban was a freelance journalist in the Middle East. We talked about the importance of power in the midst of a communication structure, the importance of clarity in communication, the leadership lessons that can be found in literature, and more.