If a young man at my church had done this, he’d still be alive today.
Supper at the mission last night was cheeseburgers, onion rings, steamed veggies, beverage and dessert.
This one guy got a much larger portion of onion rings than I did. I was jealous. Really. Really jealous.
What to do about this?
I decided to feel happy for him. It would be no loss to me, and not make much difference to him, I suppose, but at least I’d feel positive rather than negative.
It’s common for the needy, for “takers,” to resent others’ good fortune and be tempted even to try to take it away.
This creates poverty.
Whether it’s a better job, a better house, a better car, a gorgeous romantic partner — it’s better to rejoice with the person who’s been blessed, than to resent it. This is the way of the prosperous.
D. had just turned 18, meaning he would now be charged as an adult rather than a juvenile. He beat up this other guy because the dude had caught the eye of a particular young lady. Beat him pretty bad.
I don’t know the specific charges, and I don’t know what happened at trial. I do know his people weren’t able to bail him out; he was locked up for about six months, and then came home.
Some homey of the beating victim met him on his front steps and put six bullets in him. So, D.’s no longer with us.
He could instead have been happy for the other guy, who’d got himself a pretty girlfriend.
That would have blessed everybody.
Encourage everyone around you. Encourage them to do their best. And rejoice when they succeed.
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