Not Fair
Word of Encouragement
By Pastor Michael Keeton
With nine grand-children I hear this phrase often. “Hey, it’s not fair that Mikey gets to go with pop-pop and not me.” “Hey, it’s not fair that Kylie got more chicken nuggets than me.” “Hey it’s not fair that Julia didn’t get punished for the same thing I did last week!” It’s not fair….
Are we adults any better? No, we just say it to a few confidential people or keep it to ourselves. It’s not fair that I have to work from home and educate my children while the Covid-19 is here! It’s not fair that I can’t work because of the coronavirus and I am running out of money. It’s not fair that he got the job promotion and not me. It’s not fair that I didn’t get a raise after all I have done for this company. It’s not fair that they got their meal first when we were here before them. It’s not fair that they inherited a big estate. It is not fair that I can’t afford a new Harley-Davidson Ultra Limited Low Touring Bike. That last one is me! It’s just not fair….
So many situations in our lives allow us to say, “Not Fair!” I know of couples that struggle to have a baby while others are blessed with children and then abuse them. I see families whose children are all alive and well, while I hear of someone in our church that lost their child. I see people who long to serve God but can’t due to health issues and people who are healthy yet do nothing for God.
I, then, must remember it is not my job to grant fairness but God’s. It is amazing how often God gets blamed for all the bad things in this world. Sometimes we forget that God knows far more than we do about His plans and purposes. I know in my life, not always but most of the time, I am to blame for the things that happen. I read a saying that went like this, “Stupid should be painful.” Sometimes, I make stupid decisions and then I want to blame God when things don’t go the way I want them to. God, it is just not fair!
So, is the question about fairness or about trusting God? It is about trusting God. In the end, it is about trusting a faithful God who knows what He is doing. In Deuteronomy 32:4 we read, The Rock! His work is perfect, for all His ways are just; a God of faithfulness and without injustice. Righteous and upright is He.
Did Jesus Christ have the right to say, while hanging on the cross to pay the penalty for sin for the entire world, it is not fair? Rather than “it’s not fair;” He said, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” He also said, “It is finished.” Jesus Christ paid the penalty for sin in full. Now, all we have to do is act upon what the Apostle Paul wrote in Ephesians 2:8-9: “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.” Have you trusted, alone, in Jesus Christ for your eternal life in heaven? Is He the object of your faith?
When we stand before God, we can’t say, it’s Not Fair! For God so loved the world that He gave his only son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life, John 3:16.
I read about a man who didn’t complain it is not fair. He was in prison as an innocent man, beaten many times without number, five times he received 39 lashes, 3 times he was beaten with rods, once he was stoned, 3 times shipwrecked, a night and a day he spent in the deep, dangers from rivers, robbers, countrymen, Gentiles, in the city, in the wilderness, on the sea, and among false brethren. He has had sleepless nights, hungry, thirsty and on and on. You can read about him, the Apostle Paul, in 2 Corinthians 11:22-33. He never once said, it is not fair! He said, “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me,” Philippians 4:13. So, during this time of the coronavirus keep smiling and realizing that you have a great power within you to press on. Don’t forget, We are on the Victory Side!