Saturday, August 9, 2003
Saturday, August 9, 2003
For where there is envy and selfish ambition, there will also be disorder and
wickedness of every kind.
Moody concluded, "If you are envious of others, the one you will hurt the most by your actions will
be yourself." That has always been true. That is why so many fables deal with envy.
(James 3.16
NRSV)
Dwight L. Moody once told a fable about an eagle who was envious of a fellow eagle who could
fly better than he could. One day the first eagle saw a sportsman with a bow and arrow. He said
to sportsman, "I wish you would bring down that eagle up there." The man said he would if he
had some feathers for his arrow. So the jealous eagle pulled one out of his own wing. The
arrow was shot, but it didn't quite reach the rival bird because he was flying too high. The jealous
eagle pulled out another feather, then another--until finally he had lost so many feathers that he
himself couldn't fly. The archer took advantage of the situation, turned around, and killed the
helpless bird.
Dear God, help me to be grateful for the wonderful gifts you have given to me. Amen.
