Elder Jeffrey R. Holland addressed feelings of envy that lead to self-pity in the Sunday morning conference session.

He recounted the story of the prodigal son focusing on the elder brother and his jealous feelings toward his younger brother.

"One who has heretofore presumably been very happy with his life and content with his good fortune, suddenly feels very unhappy simply because another has had some good fortune as well," Elder Holland said of the elder son.

He identified Satan as the source of these feelings.

"This inclination so embellished by the world will ultimately bring a resentful, demeaning view of God and a terribly destructive view of ourselves," Elder Holland said.

As solutions to jealous feelings, Elder Holland suggested Saints come back to their Heavenly Father, count their many blessings, applaud the accomplishments of others and serve others.

He said the words "generosity" and "genealogy" come from the same Latin origin, "genus" meaning of the same birth or kind.

"We will always find it easier to be generous when we remember that this person being favored is truly one of our own," Elder Holland said.

He testified that all children are treasured to God.

"I testify that He loves each of us - insecurities, anxieties, self-image, and all," Elder Holland said.

Copyright Brigham Young University 7 Apr 2002