Some material taken fromFair is Not Always Equal by Sam Nobles
For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good andsends rain on the just and on the unjust. Matthew 5:45 ESV
For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good andsends rain on the just and on the unjust. Matthew 5:45 ESV
Most people have felt, at some point or another in their life, that life is not fair. We all have those moments, or seasons, marked in ourmemory when things didn’t seem to turn out in our favor. We focus a lot on fairness, but do we really know what it means to be fair? A more important question is, do we really want fairness?" In our society we use expressions like, “I deserve my fair share” and we hear kids saying, “No fair.” Most people in America tend to think fairness and equality means they get more, rather than realizing anadvantage in comparison to others. If we were to make everything completely equal across the world, we, as Americans would receive less, not more. Globally speaking, America is far better off than many countries. Is that fair?
Maybe our problem is how we define what is and isn’t fair. What really is fair? We usually only feel like things seem unfair when they're going against us. If things are going for us, fairness never enters our minds. The words equality and fairness are used interchangeably, but they mean two entirely different things:Equality is treating everyone the same regardless of any circumstances. Fairness is treating everyone in a way that would be beneficial to them in their specific set circumstances. Not everyone who comes into an emergency room on Friday night should be treated the same. A gunshot victim should not be treated equal to a person with a stomach virus.
What we know of God’s plans are that they are based on God’s perfect knowledge and wisdom. God knows what He’s doing. He’s in control. And even though it may seem like life isn’t going our way, we can trust Him. He is a good and fair God and loves us and truly wants good things for us. Maybe it’s time to take a step back andcount our blessings.
When we feel like we have been treated unfairly it can really hurt, especially when it is by people we love or by God. In our humanness we can perceive that we have been treated unfairly when that is not really the case. As Christians we have a hard time accepting that God would allow unfairness to happen in our lives.We know His sovereignty, and we know we are His, so we feel like we are supposed to be protected from stuff like this happening to us.
The truth is that we have a fair God who works in each of our livesin a way that is just, righteous, and true. We don’t get what we deserve, and we can praise God for that. What we truly deserve in all fairness is hell. The Bible tells us in Romans 6:23 that the wages of sin is death. The verse goes on to say but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. He has given us His ultimate gift of love, grace and mercy, and paid the debt for us so we can have eternal life. We are sinners and He has given us more than our fair share of grace. Fair judgement of our sin would land us in eternal separation from Him. In His loving kindness He provided the sacrifice of Jesus to pay the price that we deserve to pay.
The plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of His heart through all generations. Psalm 33:11
