Short Lived

“The triumph of the wicked has been short lived and the joy of the godless has been only temporary.” Job 20:5

On of my favorite movies growing up was The Wiz. Aside from it being an afrotastic version of the ever classic Wizard of Oz, it produced some of my favorite songs. Everytime it would come on you could find me dancing around the room with my mom or sister without a care. If I had taken the time out to listen to some of the lyrics I probably would have taken a different approach. The Crow Anthem (sung by Michael Jackson as the Scarecrow) boasts

“You can’t win, you can’t break even
And you can’t get out of the game
People keep sayin’ things are gonna change
But they look just like, they’re stayin’ the same. You can’t win, your in over your head
And you only got yourself to blame
You can’t win Child
(You can’t win Child)
You can’t break even
And you can’t get out of the game”

And it’s catchy! And fun! And makes your forget about how Sad the sentiment actually is. But why? Well, if you look at the story, it’s because the Crows want (and need) the Scarecrow to believe this so he can stay in the miserable state that makes them better.

When wickedness comes into our world, it needs for Sadness to overcome any Satisfaction we have in order to give it power. And sometimes it wins. I image there are many feeling like that today with it being Valentine’s Day and all the mushy gushy of the commercialism being shoved into our faces. But this day isn’t designed to be wicked, no matter how wicked it may feel. Sometimes when Sadness and Satisfaction are occupying the same space other emotions that work better with Sadness try to give them an edge. Jealousy is one of them. Yes, I know you don’t want to admit it, but it’s true. Jealousy is the main emotion that keeps us from enjoying the lover’s holiday. We’re going to be honest with ourselves here, and I’m not going to sugar coat it. Why else would a day that is designed to celebrate love make us so unhappy? It’s because there’s something lacking in our own lives that we’re forced to face when others are doing things we would like to at least have the option to do. Yes, it is commercialized. Yes, women seems to get more out of it than men. Yes, it’s a huge reminder to the single that they are indeed without a significant other. But it isn’t wicked.

Jealousy is treating you like the crows from The Wiz. It has strung you up and forced you to sing a catchy tune designed to remind you at every waking turn of what you don’t have. It’s an embarrassing song and dance we put on trying to disguise our discomfort and frustration with what’s missing from our present and makes us feel like we really “Can’t win.” Jealousy can be really wicked. But don’t fret. Because we learned from our dealings with Job that “The triumph of the wicked has been short lived and the joy of the godless has been only temporary.” (Job 20:5) Jealousy can only win temporarily. And the length of time for that temporary win is completely up to us. So what do we do? First, I encourage you to stop letting Jealousy into your head. It’s only there to make you either want what someone else has, or to make you hold on too tightly to what is yours and both are suffocating tactics. Keep Jealousy out of your head and heart and you’ll sleep better at night. Second, lean on loved ones who tell you they support you. When Dorothy showed up, she told Scarecrow that not only could he get down but she helped him. That support made all the difference in his story, and changed his life forever. And finally, God’s promise is that this down trodden time of wickedness succeeding is short lived. It won’t be the bulk of your story. So don’t wallow in a short lived set back!

Happy Valentine’s Day, my loves! I love you and I’m wishing you all the success and happiness in the world. If no one else told you today, know that it’s true because I believe in you.