Coveting: An Underrated Sin

Jealousy has made me weak.

Photo by Joshua Hoehne on Unsplash

I have sinned and I feel terrible.

If you’re surprised by the headline, yes, I am an inactive/active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS). They are the church organization that’s made fun of/criticized in the show South Park, Broadway musicals, and most recently American Primeval.

I am a Latter Day Saint who is coveting as we speak. I am jealous of the many writers who get to be themselves on this platform and who make life-changing money. There I hate saying this and I don’t want to covet, but I must get this off my chest.

This post comes off as a bit whiny, but I must call myself out on this mindset.

I’m not a shining example of the LDS principles (clean eating, thoughts, actions, missionary work, and attending the temple regularly), but I have been trying for 10 years. The principles of being a good Christian aren’t foreign, but I’ve picked them up or abandoned them in a vicious cycle for years.

I’m a complicated and messy human being.

I let myself and my family down by ignoring such a strong belief in God. I understand God isn’t for everyone¹. People might consider leaning onto a higher power to be “weak”. In this day and age, who needs God? Well, some of us do and it would be best if those people who laugh at us let us enjoy our God and they can enjoy their favorite celebrity, mental model, or nihilism².

I will continue to struggle to uphold these principles, but I hope to do my best.

“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.”- Exodus 20:17

While trying to regain a better relationship with God, I realized what a terrible thing it is for me to be jealous of others’ success and massive wins.

Being jealous is gross. The thought of coveting what others have is sickening and is a violation of one of the Ten Commandments (You Shall Not Covet).

Despite this sin, I most certainly have felt this urge to hate others for doing well.

It feels twice as horrible to feel jealous of other creators and innovators for me. Not only am I harming my mental health, but I’m also ticking off God with this rage towards others.

It’s not the winner’s fault that I’m being a miserable dummy. They did the work and made enormous sacrifices to get what they deserved, and they didn’t without worrying about others who were ahead of them! I complain about having to wash dishes or take out the trash! Everyone hates these chores, but they get done no matter what. How can I muster the focus to complete something amazing if I whine about doing the dishes?!?

I spew this confession out loud for three reasons:

1. I no longer want to feel jealous because it stunts my creative drive and makes me look weak.

2. Jealousy comes from a deep-seated issue I must address in a clinical setting.

3. I’m trying to reconnect with God. He’s done right by me all these years and I ignored these small blessings. I can repay him by being a better person.

I will still have moments of weakness anytime I scroll on social media and someone’s post got thousands of likes, despite it being recycled self-help advice³. I should stop being jealous, learn what makes their work good, and do the same while doing my best to be a good Christian⁴.

“Let them repent of all their sins and of all their covetous desires, before me, saith the Lord; for what is property unto me? saith the Lord”. - Doctrines and Covenants Section 117:4

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Photo by Jessica Mangano on Unsplash

Being jealous steals so much life from you. It makes you insufferable to be around. It’s not attractive. This devious mindset is holding you back and eating away at your potential. Your potential remains your potential because you’re focused on hating the success of others.

As Buddha once said, "Jealousy is like holding a hot coal in your hand with the intention of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned."

In the modern world, opportunities to achieve success are boundless. The resources to rise to the top are at your fingertips and all you have to bring to the table is hard work, curiosity, and relentless perseverance. Those who've made it? They've either slogged through challenges, laughed (or cried) when facing obstacles, and clawed their way to their desired mountain top. Their successes didn’t come without losses or failures. Are you jealous of those things too?

Focusing on others' possessions diverts your attention from building your path. A path that will have some sweet possessions. The possession you crave or desire should come second to the freedom that comes with doing the work that matters. Turn jealousy into fuel to drive your ambitions.

Funny to see a confession turned into a self-help post.

If you’re not jealous of others, you’re better than me. If you are jealous, do everything you can to tame it.

It’s a dangerous thing to keep around.

Hopefully, this reminder helps curb your jealousy fast: Nothing we own can be taken in the next life or the darkness. We enjoy it for a short bit and it’s either passed on, ends up in a junk drawer, or helps add to the garbage piles in the sea.

Thanks for reading.

P.S. I will try to clean up my language from now on. I might slip up from time to time. I’m only human.

1. There is a dark history in the Latter-Day Saint’s early years including massacres, church doctrine against colored people, LGBTQ+ rights, Batispms for the Dead/Holocaust Victims, and even the translation methods of Joseph Smith that are easy to pick on and criticize. The church isn’t perfect, but there are good people in the organization.

2. I’m sure I don’t need religion to be a good person, but maybe I’m not smart enough to see that.

3. I’m a hypocrite because I write the same self-help crap.

4. ‘Mormons’ are Christian.