To be guilty or not to be guilty, that is not a question. Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to have coveted and lost, or to have caused covetousness ... is also not a question. Both apply.
Christians routinely use the jargon of "I covet your prayers." Admittedly, I loathe that phrase. And it doesn't even stand to reason, since we are called in the Ten Commandments not to "covet." So, please, friends, choose another phrase.
On the other hand, I am horribly guilty of coveting. I see a BMW convertible sportster race down the road and think -- wow, I wish I ...
Or someone tells me of an inheritance, or a new and bigger home, or even how well they slept last night! And pow! I'm hit again with how covetous I can be.
On the third hand, I (and I presume several others out there) am also guilty of causing others to covet. When one (meaning me) shares a good fortune, aren't we potentially causing others to wish they had that same good fortune?
Somebody help me out here. We share our pain and ask for prayer. We share our joys and ask for corporate praise. But we have to search our hearts for the wisdom to know whether our motives are pure or not. In the meantime, I think it is best to just keep my mouth shut.
