jealousy

You know the 'opposite' of the fruit of the spirit list? Or rather, those things which exist when our flesh rules, rather than the Spirit of Christ? Jealousy and envy are indeed among them.
I struggle constantly with the concept that we have NO merits of our own, none that have not been given to us by Christ. And of course, these merits need to be divided into separate categories: that of our God-given talent, of our being created in the image of God, and that of our sinfulness, and our inability to atone for it. Eldridge says that love is a passion entirely unrelated to our merits. I guess I would agree, in theory. What is this insidious idea that we are loved in proportion only to our level of talent, our abilities? If we are competent individuals, if we don't screw up too badly, if we project always an image of success and strength? If we're perfect?

There is a story, written by Max Lucado, (the title is escaping me at the moment), that I think can shed some light on this subject. The people are made of wood, and run away giving each other stars (for achievement of some venture) and dots, to indicate failures. The main character meets someone who has neither! himself being the recipient of many dots. This character begins to visit the Carpenter, and becames sure of His maker's affection for Him. So much so, that neither the stars or the dots can stick to him. He is neither inflated by his own success and goodness nor his lack thereof. And really, should not what the God who formed us in our mother's womb, and who, essentially, loved the entire human race into existence, has to say about us be of far more importance then the opinions of man (whether good or man)?
This is not to say that we should not encourage one another, which Scripture clearly commands us to do, but not to give undue importance to people simply because of some specific skill or ability that person has. Which is, essentially, what I've done. Yes, God can and does use those who have been given great and little talent. But, ultimately, that is not the issue. Believing that His love, Your love, is what makes a person valuable, and worthy of time and attention, is. Brennan Manning once wrote that the love of Jesus Christ alone confers dignity and status upon a person. Yes, that is it! Daring to trust that this is indeed the case!