With tongue in cheek, someone has defined happiness as "an agreeable sensation arising from contemplating the misery of another."

Few of us would agree with this definition, but I'm afraid all of us can see enough truth in it to make us flinch. It's understandable to want to be a success like a neighbor. But it is wrong to have an attitude that says, "If I can't have it, I don't want anyone else to have it either."

I was about 13 when I began to realize that my 10-year-old brother Len's athletic skills were greater than mine. At first a tinge of resentment rose up within me, but it didn't have a chance to develop into a strong feeling of envy. Why? Because I loved Len. I soon began to take pride in his athletic achievements and felt with him the joy of victory and the agony of defeat.

That experience taught me that love and envy cannot coexist in the human heart. Now, whenever envy rears its ugly head, I recall how my love for Len drove it out of me. I also remember the admonition of 1 Peter 3:8, "Love as brothers." It enables me to "rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep" (Romans 12:15).

Being committed to loving others is the secret to overcoming envy.  — Herbert Vander Lugt