“Jealousy is that pain which a woman feels from the apprehension that she is not equally beloved by the person whom she entirely loves”

"Jealousy is that pain which a man feels from the apprehension that he is not equally beloved by the person whom he entirely loves", Joseph Addison

A gaze from another woman, a smile too many, shared interest with someone other than me and that feeling which nobody else seem to be able to perceive which indeed makes me feel, as Przybyszewski wrote, mad inside, unable to concentrate and worse than that, incapable of loving. Francois de la Rochedoucauld said "in jealousy there is more of self-love than love"..and this is so not what God has called us to, right?
Jealousy is theologically wrong as Jesus invited us to love selflessly and the "jealous God" the Old Testament talks about in the Hebrew actually indicates "passionate, steadfast love" - in other word as God is "mad about us" so Jesus indicates we should learn to love the world. However, jealousy is not merely theologically incorrect, but it is also making such a mess of my relationship with the person I wanna love the most. By wanting to stop him from exploring life, I am actually depriving myself of sharing in the joy that comes from us both being personally fulfilled and intellectually challenged, thus to be enriched in our inner being. SO, let's just get a grip and keep on loving with no fear - because "perfect love casts away all fears!" Amen.

Ivonnexx

Exodus 34:14; 2 Cor. 11:2 -12:20; James 4; Gal. 5.