ManageYourEmotionsBook8.5x5.5_RevJULY.indd

other things is bound to stir up feelings of envy and inadequacy over time. We love our winners.As CoachVince Lombardi often said, “Winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing.” Ricky Bobby coined his own version, claiming, “If you ain’t first, you’re last.” Such is the case in a celebrity-centered culture which values perception over reality, competition over cooperation, and sizzle over steak. If I come across as an embittered curmudgeon, forgive me. I love sports, travel, entertainment, and other recreational activity; yet mourn over the fact that they have become objects of worship rather than outlets for recreation and relaxation. With that in mind, let’s move into the consequences of jealousy, beginning with the two internal effects listed below – some which may require medical attention, which goes beyond my expertise and scope of this writing. Physiological- We may not be struck with leprosy, becoming “white as snow” like Moses’ sister (Numbers 12:10), yet research connects jealousy with certain health problems.According to Jona- than Dvash, a neuroscientist at the University of Haifa, “The sympa- thetic nervous system buckles under the stress of jealousy, quicken- ing the heart and spiking blood pressure.” 7 Eye bags, pimples, hair loss, or weight changes have also been attributed to jealousy. 8 Psychological- B.C. Forbes, founder of Forbes magazine, called jealousy a “mental cancer.” Feelings of depression, bitterness, anxiety, and insecurity, some of which will be addressed as sepa- rate chapters in this book, often occur with those who suffer from jealousy. As previously mentioned, Saul drove himself insane because of his jealousy of David and rebellion toward God.As the Bible says, “An evil spirit from God came upon Saul, and he raved in the midst of the house” (1 Samuel 18:10). He became so obsessed and enraged that he attempted to kill David, an action that signifies the external effects of jealousy.

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