Skip to main content

Beautifully Unfair

              Many children’s sports teams no longer keep score during their games because they do not want to end up with “winners” and a “losers”.  While I understand what they are trying to do, the reality is that, at some point, everyone must face the fact that life is not always fair and even. Some get more and some get less.
                The question then becomes, “If God is so good, why doesn’t he make sure everyone is treated the same?  Why is life unfair?” 
                I certainly do not have all the answers, but let me give you two thoughts that may help you to at least see this unfairness in a different light. 
                First, things are uneven because we are unique.  If everyone was exactly the same, it would be easy to make sure life was fair and equitable.  However, Psalm 139 reminds that we are “fearfully and wonderfully made” (verse 14) in exactly the way God wanted us to be and that means that each of us will have our own skills, talents and experiences.  We all start from different places and we are on our own journey.  Each of those journeys can be good, but they cannot be the same. 
                Second, the unfair parts of life provide an opportunity for us to serve one another.  In fact, God’s people are commanded to, “Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless [and] maintain the rights of poor and oppressed” (Psalm 82:3).  James 1:27 says, “Religion that God our father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress”.  It seems that God is not happy about unfair things either and he is waiting for us to do something about them.
                Ultimately, at the end of time, God will make things right.  Until then, that job belongs to you and me.  Therefore, when you see injustice, it is a call action.  When you notice something that is unfair, it is your chance to step in and show the love of God. 
                This will not fix everything, right all the wrongs or offer much comfort to the broken-hearted.  However, bad things can be made better when we simply choose to run toward those who are in need rather than away from them.
                Jesus said, “You are the light of the world” (Matthew 5:14) and, of course, lights are best seen in the dark.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

New Article: Grace Changes Everything

               A young man broke into a business and did $5000 damage. As part of his Restorative Justice sentence, he was required to meet with my friend Garth.   Garth believes in making apologies and restitution.   It took several months, but Garth finally convinced the young man that these were necessary steps, so he tried to arrange a meeting with the business owner.                The business owner wanted nothing to do with this situation.   He was angry and wanted a more severe form of justice.   Eventually, however, he agreed to meet the young man to hear what he had to say.                  The young man looked the business owner in the eye an...

The Art of Noticing.... Seeing what we need to see and what we miss when we don't

 What we focus on in life matters. Here are some scriptural reminders that will help us see correctly.  https://youtu.be/Rn76tV0ZH8s    

New Article: Think Abundance Not Scarcity

                 “There are no trees in Saskatchewan!”                I have heard that statement many times, mostly from people who moved to Estevan from places like British Columbia or northern Ontario.   Compared to what they expect, Saskatchewan, and Estevan in particular, seems rather barren.   However, that statement is not true.   More than half the province is covered with trees.   Go up north and there are trees everywhere.                A few months ago, I came across an aerial photo of Estevan from the 1950s.   When I showed it to my girls, the first thing they said was, “Wow, there are no trees in that picture!”   The photo looked odd ...