It takes a special person to sincerely rejoice in someone else’s success. This is especially true when the success could have been yours, but it is not really true when the success was never in your grasp.

Let me explain. When a professional athlete on a team you like is successful, it is easy to rejoice in their success without any feelings of envy or jealousy. He is not your competitor in any sense of the word. It doesn’t enter your mind to be jealous.

However, if you too are a professional athlete competing with other professional athletes, you may feel some jealousy and envy when others around you are more successful than you.

Moses was not envious that his brother Aaron became the High Priest. Moses had his role and Aaron had his. Moses rejoiced wholeheartedly when he anointed Aaron into his role. Not a shred of jealousy.

However, when Moses had to also anoint the children of Aaron, there was the potential for jealousy. Moses’s own children would not succeed Moses as the leader of the Israelites, yet Aaron’s children would succeed Aaron in his role.

God specifically tells Moses “You shall anoint them as you anointed their father…” to emphasize that there is no need for envy. Moses was told by God to rejoice for his nephews just as he had for his brother.

It is not always easy to be happy for others without any envy in your heart. When your friends seem to have success after success and you are still stuck in first gear, it can be difficult. It is very natural to be jealous.

We must honestly try to be happy for others. Remember, even someone as great as Moses had to be reminded by God of this truth.