The Envious Eagle

I once heard the fable of an eagle who was envious of another eagle who was larger and could fly much higher than he could. The only way to be the best eagle again was to have the larger eagle killed. So one day the eagle went to a bow hunter and showed him the great prize he could have if he shot down the eagle flying so high. The hunter agreed to but needed a feather for his arrow. The eagle obliged, giving him one of his feathers. The hunter shot an arrow that sailed high and straight, but fell short since the eagle was so high. The eagle again gave him a feather to try again. Again he failed. This continued on until the eagle had no more feathers to give and he, himself couldn’t fly. When the hunter saw the dilemma he saw his prize and turned and shot the eagle sitting beside him. The moral of the story was when you envy the only person you hurt is yourself.

Love does not envy. Envy goes beyond simple jealousy. It is the desire to have what someone else has no matter what the cost. Kind David did this when he lusted after Bathsheba and then had her husband killed to cover his sin and gain his prize. Cain did this when he killed Abel. Ahab did this when he had Naboth killed to obtain Naboth’s vineyard for his wife.

The opposite of envy is to be content. Contentment means that I can be happy with what I have no matter what everyone else around me has. I don’t have to have a house as big as yours. I can drive an older car while you’re in a newer one. I will not wish you harm because you are better off than I am. I will not wish ill on you because of your success.

Love means you want the best for others. You want them to succeed. You want them to be happy.

Two men were once stranded on a dessert island. In order to co-exist they divided the island in half and they lived separately. The two men knew their only hope was to pray. The first day they prayed for food. The next morning one man had an abundance of food and the other had only enough to sustain his life. The next day they prayed for shelter. The man who had all the food was given a grand place to live while the other was stuck to living under a tree. After a week the first man prayed for a wife and it was granted to him. The other man remained alone on barren soil with little shelter. Finally the first man prayed for a ship to come by and take his wife and him away from the island. The next day the ship arrived and the man and wife boarded the ship and decided to leave the other man behind.

As the ship sailed a voice came from heaven, “Where is your shipmate that was on the island with you?” The man said that the he did not deserve to be saved, which was obvious by none of his prayers being answered. “On the contrary,” the voice came back, “while you asked for food, shelter and a wife, he prayed that all of your prayers would be answered. It was his prayers that gave you what you had not yours.”

Love does not envy means we want the best for those we love and would do nothing to cause harm.