Eroded
What is eating you? What makes you anxious?
Do not fret yourself over the one who prospers, the one who succeeds in evil schemes. Refrain from anger, leave rage alone; do not fret yourself; it leads only to evil - Psalm 37:8-9
The definition of the word “Fret” is to be overly anxious or to be worn away by something gnawing at you, as if you are being eroded.
The example given is of one who lets the prosperity of schemers bother them.
We like to think that people who deal dishonestly will eventually get caught and suffer for their evil, but it can be troublesome when we don’t see that happen.
One way to avoid falling into the trap of becoming anxious over the dealings of others is to look at what we do through the eyes of one who may be envious of what we have.
Could someone see evil in what I do? Could my successes make someone anxious and angry?
If I can see myself through the eyes of another, what would I see?
The exercise could be a healthy one, for it makes me take a close look at my actions, my words, and my attitudes, to see if someone could interpret them the wrong way.
Do I come across as I think I do, or as I fear I could?
The lesson here is simple. Don’t focus on others and let their successes eat away at you because of envy or anger at injustice. There will be hell to pay, even if you don’t see how or when.
But it is not about taking comfort in the fact that evil deeds will not go unpunished. Instead it is about redemption for those who want to and need to return.
If I become anxious about the success of evildoers, I will follow their path into evil. Instead, I should seek to shine my light brighter so they will see an alternative to evil.
So, if I can imagine how someone might see the evil in me, then I should work harder to let my light shine through.
In the end, it doesn’t matter what any of us thinks will happen to others. It only matters how we live our lives now.
More to come...