When it leaks out of their mouth…
Know this:
It’s been hiding in their heart
the whole time.
Jealousy.
It don’t always shout.
Sometimes it whispers.
Sometimes it’s dressed like a joke.
Other times, it’s wearing your cousin’s smile
or your best friend’s “Congrats.”
But the tone doesn’t lie.
It slips off the tongue, not by accident…
but by overflow.
See, what fills the heart
will flood the mouth.
Words don’t slip without roots.
And bitter roots bear bitter fruit.
They say, “I didn’t mean that.”
But they did.
Maybe not to say it to you,
But they meant it.
Because you can’t hide what’s been stewing
in the soul
for that long.
They speak against you…
Then realize it’s you they’re speaking to.
And suddenly, the smile glitches.
The “just kidding” feels hollow.
You feel the shift.
You feel the truth.
But you,
You start wondering if it’s you.
You start second-guessing what God said about you.
Because when enough people envy the light in you,
you start dimming it just to feel safe.
And worst of all?
You pull back from love.
From your real community.
The ones that hold mirrors.
The ones that say:
“You are fearfully and wonderfully made.”
“You are not too much.”
“You are not too bright.”
“Shine anyway.”
But where there’s no community…
there’s no mirrors.
Just echo chambers and silence.
And you start seeing you
the way they speak of you,
less than,
not enough,
maybe even… jealous yourself.
It’s a vicious cycle.
Wounds become weapons.
And if you’re not careful,
you become the very thing
you were hurt by.
But I came to tell you:
That ain’t who you are.
You are loved.
You are seen.
You are covered.
Jealousy is loud,
but God’s voice is louder.
And HIS word?
It doesn’t envy.
It doesn’t boast.
It doesn’t tear down to build up.
So love your enemies…
but don’t let them rent space in your mind.
Forgive the slip-ups…
but recognize the source.
Discern the spirit…
and protect your soul.
Because the Word says:
“Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.”
And the only heart you need to be checking,
Is yours.
So check it.
Clean it.
Guard it.
And trust God to handle the rest.
When it leaks out of their mouth…
Don’t absorb it.
Observe it.
And remember:
Even when envy surrounds you,
grace still covers you.
“Lord, search our hearts.
Remove from us all envy, and help us see with YOUR eyes.
Heal us from the wounds of jealous words,
And make us a mirror of YOUR love in a world that often forgets its own reflection”.
Amen