what is jealousy?

all along I've thought it was an over-wrought, over-anxious, over-dominating complex of insecurity and trust-lessness, but it never struck me until now that a man's jealousy might stem from his fierce desire to protect. Or mirror, even originate from, God's own very jealous heart because of the passion He has for our precious hearts.

but there're so many fine lines to draw, if they can be drawn at all. humans after all aren't God, and how do we know what's right or wrong? There doesn't seem to be a way to understand the practical constituents of good-natured human jealousy, especially when the heart is deceitful and has a knack for confusing things.

but if there's something that keeps popping up over these two days it's the notion that attraction is still attraction no matter how small, or whether it's couched in innocuous phrases like 'we enjoy each other's company but there's no way we can imagine ourselves together' or 'I'm just expressing an objective appreciation for the person's qualities/musicianship/flair/eloquence,etc'. There is still attraction, and it occurs on all levels regardless of age difference, distance, reality (eg. TV), practical possibility of things ever developing.

which is why I too am feeling jealous.

Still, I wonder what God's trying to say. Is He preparing us both for temptations to come, warning us to be cautious about boundaries and relationships with other people; cautious about our own frail, wandering hearts?
-------------------------------