Somebody once told me that when they think something or someone isn't fair, they say just that: it's not fair. Then she told me that she says to herself, "Life's not fair, and you can't expect it to be, so shut up. They're not perfect and I can't expect them to be. I'm not perfect, or else I wouldn't be so mad right now." I thought, wow, I wish I thought that when I thought something was unfair. It would probably calm me down and make me less unhappy. Sadly, when I get mad about something, I don't really want to calm down right away. I want to be mad. So, normally, when something isn't fair, I usually repeat it over and over in my head, making myself more and more upset.
But the last time that I thought something wasn't fair and I tried saying to myself that I can't expect everything to be fair, I thought about the sovereignty of God. If God is sovereign, and something comes up that we don't like or think is unfair, what does that say about the way God plans things?
Is God Sovereign? Yes. Does He do things we don't like? Yes. Does He always have a plan or a reason why He does all things? Yes. God does what He does for the good of His own children. Like it or not, He knows better than we do. So when "life's not fair," "turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full into His wonderful face. And the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace." Don't dwell on your unhappiness - you'll only become angrier.
All things are ordained of God; thus, all things are fair. This is something I need to remind myself of daily. When things don't seem to be fair, stop and think that maybe God is sparing you from going through trials, or teaching you a much needed lesson, or saving you from heartache, or preserving your life from a terrible accident, or a number of other things. When things don't go your way, stop and thank God that things are going His way and that His way is much better than your own.
So, the only thing I would omit from the above quote is the first sentence that says that life isn't fair. We can still tell ourselves that we're not perfect and nobody else is, save God. The more we humble ourselves and bring ourselves low to the feet of Jesus, the more He will raise us up and bless us and bless His holy name through us. And that must be the greatest blessing - for Christ to be glorified through us.
Bless God for the "unfairness" we go through, because He has all things under control and He is always watching us. He will not allow us to be tried beyond that which we are able. He will give us the strength we need to make it through anything and everything He puts along our path.
