CPO selections can bring about a lot of jealousy in the Navy community.

If you’re a Navy wife, it’s that time of year – the announcement of the latest CPO selects. Facebook message boards fill with proud wives celebrating. In fact, there’s so much excitement, it’s easy to forget that not everyone who hopes to become a CPO select makes the cut. It’s also easy to envy those wives and the excitement they feel, even if it’ll be years before your husband qualifies for Chief.

In James 3:16, James says “For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.”

As a military wife, envying others will get you nowhere. It’s hard to avoid. You want your husband to be a higher rank. You want a higher paycheck. You want the better floor plan in military housing – or even to get off the waiting list and into the better housing. You want to be part of the in group of wives who are always going out, having fun, and seem to be inseparable during a deployment.

But if you look at why you want all of those things, you may realize that all of your reasons contain the word “I” somewhere within them. They’re generally selfish reasons and often show a lack of gratitude for what you do have.  That’s what helps bring about the disorder and every evil practice James mentions. You put off other friends in an attempt to hang out with the “cool” wives. You nag your spouse to perform better so he can move up in rank. You long for a better place to live rather than spending time sprucing up the place you have.

Wherever you’re living. Whatever friends you have. Whatever your husband’s current rank or other circumstances are, it’s up to you to make the best of it. Have you ever heard the quote “Life is what happens to you when you’re busy making other plans” (John Lennon included it in his song “Beautiful Boy,” by the way)? When you’re envying what others have, it’s like you’re busy making other plans.

Stop making plans to get what others have and start enjoying the life God has given you.