Jealousy Is Nothing to Toy With
Ben Roberts

Scripture:
If you’ve gotten anything at all out of following Christ, if his love has made any difference in your life, if being in a community of the Spirit means anything to you, if you have a heart, if you care—then do me a favor: Agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends. Don’t push your way to the front; don’t sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don’t be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand. - Philippians 2:1-4

Jealousy is a universal problem. Apparently even toys are not immune. In this week’s movie Toy Story, Woody becomes jealous when his human Andy gets a new action figure for his birthday. Buzz is everything that Woody is not. He is new. He’s arrayed with impressive features. He’s confident. 

Buzz quickly becomes Andy’s favorite, and Woody is left to wrestle with that all too common human problem of jealousy.  

From the very beginning of the movie, the toys, all of the toys, are afraid of being replaced. Woody, the leader of the toys, puts up a brave front. But all too quickly, he too gives into fear and jealousy.

The film taps into some of our oldest fears. In the opening chapters of Genesis in the Bible, our spiritual ancestors struggle with jealousy. Barely 4 chapters into the biblical story, Cain kills his brother Abel over jealousy. This is not a new problem.

Why is this a thing?

As I reflect upon my own life, the times I have felt jealous have been the strongest when I fear scarcity. Culture reinforces this feeling. Whether it is family, school, work or even the church there is often a notion that love and approval are in short supply. If we don’t take aggressive action, the well may run dry. And while in rare instances this may be true, acting out in jealousy only makes things worse.

Fearing scarcity and acting out in jealousy tends to be self-reinforcing. The more we act out in jealousy, the more we sense scarcity, which further fuels our jealousy.

So, what’s a toy person to do?

In the movie, Woody’s transformation begins with empathy. He sees that Buzz’s vulnerability around not being a “real” space ranger. The writer of the book of Roman’s puts it succinctly in chapter 12 verse 15, “Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.”  When we see the human frailty of others and empathize, it fosters compassion.

Realize that there is enough. Some sermons stick with you. About 15 years ago, my then pastor gave a sermon on God’s abundance. He handed out stickers that said, “there is enough.” I put the sticker in my car and there it stayed until I got rid of the car. Its impact was transformational with how I view economics, both material and spiritual. As Philippians 4:9 puts it, “You can be sure that God will take care of everything you need, his generosity exceeding even yours in the glory that pours from Jesus.”

And most importantly, find your identity in God, status. In the movie, the toys find their identity in the boy Andy. Our identity should be in God. When we look to others and compare, it robs us of joy and leads to jealousy. I love how the writer of 1 John 3:1 puts it, “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!” Lavish!  There is no scarcity in God’s love. When we truly find our identity in God, we are richer than we can imagine. We just need to remind ourselves daily whose we are.

Prayer:
I am Thine, O Lord, I have heard Thy voice,
And it told Thy love to me;
But I long to rise in the arms of faith,
And be closer drawn to Thee.
--Fanny J. Crosby