What is the “stink eye”? (See below) enough said. The better question is: What is the stink eye effect? It’s the sum product of you giving the stink eye to people for no reason other than to let them know that you’re not feeling “important enough.” Let me restate that– it’s being bratty! Now, kids give stink eyes all the time when they feel like they deserve something they didn’t get. Fine, you can live with a little bratty kids. But what happens when adults start giving you the stink eye? That’s right, you get annoyed and start stink eyeing them back. Am I right? The culmination of all said stink eyes is bitterness and resentment. That means you will have that many more broken relationships (and most likely, that many more hours of therapy). This conclusion brings us to Matthew 20:16. “So the last will be first, and the first last.” – Matthew 20:16 In context of this verse, the passage was referring to people who were jealous that people who worked less than they did received the same amount of money that they received. As a result, these people went to the owner and gave him the stink-eye, which in turn, elicited that response from the owner of the vineyard. If I were one of the first to be hired, I would be stink eyeing everybody too. Don’t lie, so would you. I mean, how unfair is it to be hired first that the person hired last, and doing the least amount of work, receives the same pay as somebody who broke their hump for twelve hours in the heat of the autumn harvest? That’s right, you would want to stink eye all over. But there are two points to this story– first, you get what you negotiate for, the person who was hired first and stink-eyed, got what he asked for. Secondly, and more importantly, be grateful because you didn’t have to be hired in the first place. Likewise, what does it matter that people who are seemingly less deserving got a reward equal to your own? You also got rewarded. Let me boil down today’s quiet time moment for you in this verse: the nature of the stink eye is envy which is displeased at the good of others and desires for their hurt. We have no claim to any reward without the grace of God bestowing that to us. So, if in our heads we think we were first, that’s wrong, we’re actually last. Likewise, if we thought we were last, we’ll be made first. This is in terms of our sense of ourselves– our pride, claim and deservedness of salvation. We have no reason to stink eye and it’s effects should not be present in our lives. We need to praise and rejoice that God, by His mercy gave to us as He gave to others a chance at eternal life.