I covet. I don’t like to admit it, but it’s true. I like having nice things. I like owning the latest gadgets. Social media plays into those desires. It knows our online searches and then shows us ad after ad. Our consumeristic world makes it hard to avoid breaking this commandment.

My youngest came home with a beautiful new red truck with all the latest technology. My vehicle was showing its age. It didn’t have a screen to show my navigation. The hands free option wasn’t working correctly anymore. It was starting to need significance repairs, but it still had years left in it. I sat in my son’s new truck and started dreaming of a new vehicle. The desire started to build. Once I had to start sharing my vehicle with my husband so he could do behind the wheel, my desire turned into a force to get what I wanted.

5 ^1-2 Watch what God does, and then you do it, like children who learn proper behavior from their parents. Mostly what God does is love you. Keep company with him and learn a life of love. Observe how Christ loved us. His love was not cautious but extravagant. He didn’t love in order to get something from us but to give everything of himself to us. Love like that. (Ephesians 5:1-2 MSG)

Knowing I covet is a work in progress. Coveting begins with desire. It begins in the mind. This makes it difficult to navigate. We are commanded to live like Jesus. Jesus put others first. He said the greatest will be last not first. I’m supposed to put other’s needs before mine. I should be wiling to share. I should be able to appreciate what others have without desiring for myself. It’s a check and balance system that I’m trying to get better at.

Do you covet? How do you keep it in check? Do you have work to do too? Share your experience here and breathe life and bring hope to others.