You’re at Chick-fil-A and you observe a family with two young children. They both want the free birthday treat, but only one of them has a birthday right now. The other one screams, “that’s not fair!” We tend to look at this and giggle inside our heads as adults, knowing that we’ve all been there and done that at some point, but yet did we leave that all behind?

As a former elementary school teacher and someone who still tutors kiddos daily I am familiar with this phrase!

I’ve even said it as an adult. Granted typically to someone I trust or just to myself or God, but many of us still say this phrase as we get older.

But here’s the thing. Life is not fair. God never said it would be fair. I mean, think about it. If life was fair would Jesus have had to die on the cross? Why do we keep expecting earth to be like heaven?

This world is not our home. We are told in the Bible that if we know Jesus that in this world, we will have trouble. (John 16:33) But… This is a big but… take heart because Jesus has overcome the world! That is where our hope lies!  

“These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” John 16:33 NKJV

Our hope does not lie in what people say about us, what we accomplish, what happens to us or doesn’t happen to us on earth. Our hope only lies in God.

Don’t get me wrong, I get the grief and anger and sadness that comes when life isn’t fair on earth. It’s not fair that my family was a disaster and that I have no blood relatives that I’m connected to. It’s not fair I was never given the chance to get married and have children of my own, so I will never have children or grandchildren. It’s not fair that my life completely unraveled because of the trauma I’ve been through. It’s not fair that I had to endure all of the abuse I did. I could go on and on…

Just like it’s not fair

You lost that baby.

You were abused.

You were in a car wreck that changed your life.

Your husband or wife cheated on you and your marriage crumbled.

You got a cancer diagnosis.

You lost your job because you told the truth and stood for truth.

Those are just a few examples I can think of that you might have been through, but you get the point. None of it’s fair.

Here’s the thing about fair. What’s fair for one is not fair for another. I work with kids that have dyslexia and what’s fair for them is to be able to have extra processing time because dyslexia is a language processing struggle. Others may see that as it’s not fair that they get more time to work but yet it is because that’s what they need for how their brains work.

Fairness is really something we created as humans. Sinful, greedy, and very sinful humans. Because when God created the world, He wanted us all to live in beauty and love and relationship with Him without the heartache. But we screwed that up. Starting with Adam and Eve and from there, we are all born sinful people

We need Jesus. He came and lived a perfect life, but was tortured, abused, ridiculed, abandoned, rejected, spit on, yelled at, cursed, beaten, and crucified on a cross. That means his body was NAILED to cross. What is fair about that?

Nothing.

So as I went through the grief process again recently about the unfairness of some things I encountered, I had to come back to this world is not my home. I can’t feel completely at peace in this life. That will come when this life passes away.

It brings to mind my life verse 2 Corinthians four 17-18

“For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”

Father God,
Comfort me when life isn’t fair. Help me keep my eyes focused on you and remember whatever I’m enduring is only for a moment, especially in comparison to the time I will spend with You and eternity. Remind me that what I see here on earth is only temporary, but my time with You is eternal and forever. You are where my hope lies, and help me not forget that, when life “unfair”. May You receive all the glory for my life. Let it not be about me and all about You.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen

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