August 1
The Jealous
Heart
"Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other."
Galatians 5:26 (NIrV)
Liam stood across the street from the café, his hands balled into fists, eyes locked on Kim and her new boyfriend, Gaz. His stomach churned as he watched them laughing together, his heart pounding with a mix of anger and jealousy. It had been a few months since Kim had ended things with him, but the sting of rejection still lingered. Every time he saw her with Gaz, it felt like a knife twisting in his gut. How dare she move on so easily. How could she choose this loser over him?
Liam couldn’t shake the bitterness that had taken root inside him. He wanted to shout at Kim, demand she remember all the good times they had shared. He wanted to show her that Gaz was nothing special, that he was the better choice. He couldn’t stand it anymore. His pride, his jealousy—they were taking over.
He stormed into the café, the bell above the door ringing sharply as he pushed it open. Kim saw him immediately and waved, but Liam didn’t acknowledge her. His eyes were fixed on Gaz. He walked up to the table, ignoring Kim’s attempts to greet him, and pointed directly at Gaz.
"You’re not good enough for her," Liam spat, his voice low and threatening. "She deserves better than a guy like you."
Gaz stood up, his face flushed with anger. "What’s your problem, man?" he growled.
"I’m her ex, and you’re just a placeholder," Liam sneered. "She’ll figure it out soon enough."
Kim tried to intervene, her voice shaking. "Liam, please, don’t do this."
But it was too late. The tension had already built up, and it exploded into a full-blown confrontation. Liam threw a punch at Gaz, and within seconds, the two men were tangled in a fight, fists flying, chairs crashing to the floor. Kim screamed, but it only made things worse.
Liam’s head rang as his fist connected with Gaz’s jaw. The adrenaline was pumping, the anger clouding his judgment. He didn’t care about anything anymore—he just wanted to hurt Gaz, to make him feel what Liam felt every time he saw them together. He wanted to be the one in Kim’s life again.
But in the chaos of the moment, something unexpected happened. As Liam stood over Gaz, panting and shaking with rage, he caught a glimpse of Kim’s face. The hurt in her eyes hit him like a wave. This wasn’t what she wanted. This wasn’t the person he wanted to be.
Liam stepped back, his chest heaving. The words from the Bible that he had read earlier that week came flooding back to him: “Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.” The truth hit him hard. He had let his jealousy, pride, and bitterness blind him. He was so caught up in his own feelings that he couldn’t see the pain he was causing to the people he still cared about.
Kim was right. He didn’t want to be this person. In that moment, the anger started to fade, replaced by regret. He reached down to help Gaz up, his voice barely a whisper. "I’m sorry, man. I shouldn’t have done that."
Kim stepped forward, her expression softening as she looked at Liam. "Liam, I don’t know what’s going on inside you, but you can’t keep living like this. You need to let go of the past."
Liam looked at her and nodded. He wasn’t sure how to fix things or if things could ever go back to how they were, but he knew one thing: he couldn’t let jealousy control him anymore. With a deep breath, he turned to leave, his heart heavy but lighter than it had been in months. He needed to heal. He needed to trust God to change him.
Prayer:
Dear God,
I come to You today with a heavy heart, filled with jealousy and bitterness.
I’ve let my emotions control me, and I’ve hurt those around me because of it.
Please forgive me for letting pride and envy take over. Help me to find peace in Your plan, to trust that You have a purpose for me even if things don’t go the way I want.
Teach me to let go of jealousy and embrace humility, to honor others above myself.
Please guide me toward a heart that is focused on love, forgiveness, and peace.
In Jesus' name, Amen.
