Quote:
Monday, September 29, 2014
You are reading from the book Today's Gift
When people envy me I think, Oh God, don't envy me, I have my own pains.
—Barbra Streisand
A forest is full of many different kinds of trees--they are all sizes and shapes and shades of color. It is hard to imagine a pine tree wishing it was an oak. Or a fir tree envying the birch its white bark. Instead, each tree catches raindrops and reflects the sunshine in its own way.
We often find ourselves envying someone else. We think they have more money or more friends. We see them as better looking or luckier in some way than we are.
It is so easy to overlook our own gifts when we do this. We get fooled by what looks good and forget that all human beings have some weaknesses and pain, just like we do. Like the trees in the forest, we each have our own unique beauty and talents to offer. If we believe in ourselves, rather than envy those around us, we will grow green and tall in our own way.
What qualities do I have that someone might envy?
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A friend envied the way I could talk and put pictures on when I posted. She felt she couldn't do it. She had the message, she just did't think she could say them like me. She didn't realize she didn't need to, she had her own story in her own way. I have a way with words, but she had a great way with people.
She did things I couldn't do. I went into jail and did face to face, but she worked behind the scenes. She worked in soup kitchens, went on walks for aids and women's rights, and so much more. We each have a gift. It is God given.