"...To every man is given a gift by the Spirit of God. To some is given one, and to some is given another, that all may be profited thereby." (D&C 46:11-12)

There is something I am very aware of about myself that I keep working on and will probably have to keep working on for my entire life. Envy. Whoa, did I really just admit that I get envious? Well, reality is, I do have such feelings, even if they are fleeting, or stay longer than I would like and I don't want them to stay. Why is envy or jealousy or coveting so bad? First I had to define envy (I always look up definitions, very informative and enlightening). Envy: "A feeling of discontent and resentment aroused by and in conjunction with desire for the possessions or qualities of another" (The Free Dictionary). That definitely describes envy. I am not content with what I have or what I am when I am envious of what others have whether it is an object they posses, personality trait, physical trait, or talent, or anything else. Envy has been said to be one of the seven deadly sins (see Wikipedia) and has been portrayed in art for centuries.

In the scriptures we are admonished to "lay aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings" (1 Peter 2:1); "Let not thine heart envy sinners: but be thou in the fear of the Lord all the day long" (Proverbs 23:17). In another scripture we are asked: "...is there one among you who is not stripped of envy" (Alma 5:29)? Why must we be "stripped of envy"? Envy causes blindness, making us see all that others have, desiring what they posses, whether it is qualities or property, and we become blind to all the good and wonderful blessings that have been given to us. As God created the earth and all things that are on it, He would stop after He had created each thing and it is stated: "God saw that it was good" (Genesis 1:10,12,18, 21, 25). He paused and appreciated His creations~ He saw. Appreciation for what we have is a gift we give ourselves and to God. It can also be called gratitude or thankfulness.

Everyone has different gifts and talents to share. "All have not every gift given unto them; for there are many gifts, and to every man is given a gift by the Spirit of God. To some is given one, and to some is given another, that all may be profited thereby" (D&C 46:11-12). We are all blessed when we take the time to develop the talents that have been given to us rather than complaining, envying, or whining that so and so has so much why don't they give us some or even thinking they shouldn't have so much. It's not about what others have or are not giving us. It is about seeing what we have been blessed with from our Father in Heaven. Sometimes in our envying, we end up burying our talents because we waste so much time trying to get what someone else has rather than seeing that with which we have been blessed. Everyone is blessed by the talents and gifts of others..."that all may be profited thereby" (D&C 46:12); everyone benefits when someone improves and succeeds. The challenge is to rejoice in the success of others. It is a great feeling to cheer someone on when they have done better than we have, especially when it is something we love doing.

In the parable of the talents Christ is trying to teach us we all have talents and we shouldn't be afraid or worry about what we do or don't have, but to do our best with what we have been given (Matt. 25:14-30). In this parable there are 3 servants and each servant is given "talents" or money. "And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability" (vs. 15 italics added). The fact that the 'man', symbolic of God, gives them the talents according to their abilities is exactly what the Lord does for us. He knows what we are capable of doing and accomplishing. This is why it's important for gratitude to fill our hearts for the blessings we receive because He knows us and our abilities to handle the trials that are coming or the burden we already carry. We have to be humble enough to trust him and "call on his holy name, and watch and pray continually, that [we] may not be tempted above that which [we] can bear" (Alma 13:28) and envying is a huge temptation and way to heavy to add to the loads we already carry. "Thou shalt not covet" (Exodus 20:17) is essential to our development and our protection. It "is meant to keep us from hurting ourselves" (Elder Jeffrey R. Holland). It helps us have a better vision of who we are becoming rather than what someone else is, because we aren't becoming them, we are becoming who we really are~ "sons and daughters of Christ" (Mosiah 5:7).

Another lesson from this parable: the last servant was given one talent who buried it because he was "afraid" so he wouldn't lose any of his talent (vs. 25). It teaches us that it is important for us to "go and do" (1 Nephi 3:7) and that we should not be "slothful servants" (vs. 26; see also D&C 58:26). The Lord doesn't want to tell us everything that we can be doing. He wants us to be "anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of [our] own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness; for the power is in [us] wherein [we] are agents unto [ourselves]. And inasmuch as men do good they shall in nowise lose their reward" (D&C 58:27-28). The Lord is pleased when we act with gratitude and "confess...His hand in all things (D&C:59:21) and thus we are eliminating envy from our hearts as we do so. We don't need to wait around to be told to do good things. "Wherefore, be not weary in well-doing for ye are laying the foundation of a great work. And out of small things proceedeth that which is great" (D&C 64:33). We don't need to worry about what others have because we have way too much to do! Go and do good!

Envying or coveting is part of the "natural man" (Mosiah 3:19) but we don't need to be blinded by this weakness. For the power is in us to "do good" and "do much righteousness". As we lay aside envying the Lord says: "And he who receiveth all things with thankfulness shall be made glorious; and the things of this earth shall be added unto him, even an hundred fold, yea, more" (D&C 78:19). Keep our eye on the Lord, He knows exactly what we need, what to bless us with, what talents we need to develop. Rejoice in the blessings of others. He knows their needs as well as ours. With gratitude for all the Savior has given us, this I testify, is how to overcome and deal with envy.