Today's post is by guest writer, Lucas Ward.
I'll bet most of us have a shared experience in growing up. As children we'd be disappointed and the manner in which our hopes were crushed would tweak our childish sense of justice. We'd cry out, "That's not fair!", to which our mothers would inevitably reply, "Well, life isn't fair." Though none of us liked this reply it taught us that sometimes life doesn't work the way we think is just and we have to keep living anyway. We have to learn to overcome the unfairness and accomplish our goals or else accept that our lives aren't going to go the way we'd hoped and learn to be content along another path. There is a strength that comes with learning that life isn't fair.
Unfortunately, there is a generation growing up that never learned this lesson. A young lady I worked with at Publix reacted with shock and a little bit of horror when I repeated the platitude. "Life is fair," she said, "or at least I've always found it to be. I'm sorry that you feel that life hasn't been fair to you." At that point I was horrified. The poor girl had no defenses built up. When life inevitably was unjust to her, she'd most likely fold under the pressure. She hadn't learned from an early age to ignore injustice and push through. The more I watch the world around me, the more I'm convinced she wasn't a stand-alone case, but rather the exemplar of a generation.
What is especially hard to take is when life is unfair BECAUSE a person is righteous. Job is a good example of this. We learn in 1:8 that the reason God pointed out Job to Satan is because he was "a blameless and upright man who fears God and turns away from evil." All those horrible things happened to Job because he was good! No wonder he proclaims in 19:6-7 that "God has put me in the wrong . . . there is no justice". Job was crying out, "This isn't fair!" and God says that what Job said about Him was right (42:7-8). And, let's face it, the last of the Beatitudes doesn't really sound like a blessing: "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you." (Matt. 5:10-12) I should be happy when I'm persecuted for righteousness? That's the definition of not fair! Happy when people revile and persecute me because I proclaim Jesus? What is going on? And yet we are told this is what we should expect: "Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted." (2 Tim. 3:12).
Just as we must learn to live our lives in an unfair world, we must learn to live as Christians under even less fair circumstances. The story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in Daniel 3 shows us the attitudes we need to face a life of such service. I imagine we all know this story. Nebuchadnezzar erected an idol and ordered all his officers to worship it or be burned to death. Those three young men did not worship and were hauled before the king. They were being punished for not sinning! Not fair! When given a second chance by the king, they responded with "If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.” (Dan. 3:16-17)
The first thing to notice is that these men did not deign to speak for God. "If this be so [that the king was going to throw them in the furnace] our God . . . is able to deliver us". They knew He was able, but they couldn't control what God would do. All they could control was their own actions: "But if not [even if God doesn't save us] . . . we will not serve your gods".
All too often our faith is based upon what we suppose God will do. We believe that once we turn our lives over to God, everything will always work out for the best here on Earth. Our financial problems will go away, our health issues will heal up, our family life will become Cleaver-esque and all temptations will cease. When that doesn't happen, when, in fact, our lives get tougher because of our faith, we fold. We act like that young lady at Publix who had never heard that sometimes life isn't fair. This is the height of silliness, since we are repeatedly told that living for God will lead us to being persecuted by those who live for this world.
So what do we do in the face of such unfairness? We follow Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego's example. We focus on living for God, not matter what happens, secure in our belief that He has a plan that ultimately will lead us home to Him. We don't dictate to God, we submit to His will. Whatever happens in our lives, we hold to the knowledge that He is our hope of salvation. In this, we follow the example of Job who, later in the same chapter in which he claimed "there is no justice", made one of the great confessions of faith: "But as for me I know that my Redeemer lives, And at last he will stand up upon the earth: And after my skin, even this body, is destroyed, Then without my flesh shall I see God" (Job 19:25-26)
Life isn't fair. The Christian life is even less so. Don't worry about what God will do in each situation. Focus on living for Him, sure in the faith that He has a plan that is leading towards your ultimate, eternal good. Whatever destruction this life throws in our way, know this. Hold to this:
"I know that my Redeemer lives" Job 19:25
Lucas Ward
I'll bet most of us have a shared experience in growing up. As children we'd be disappointed and the manner in which our hopes were crushed would tweak our childish sense of justice. We'd cry out, "That's not fair!", to which our mothers would inevitably reply, "Well, life isn't fair." Though none of us liked this reply it taught us that sometimes life doesn't work the way we think is just and we have to keep living anyway. We have to learn to overcome the unfairness and accomplish our goals or else accept that our lives aren't going to go the way we'd hoped and learn to be content along another path. There is a strength that comes with learning that life isn't fair.
Unfortunately, there is a generation growing up that never learned this lesson. A young lady I worked with at Publix reacted with shock and a little bit of horror when I repeated the platitude. "Life is fair," she said, "or at least I've always found it to be. I'm sorry that you feel that life hasn't been fair to you." At that point I was horrified. The poor girl had no defenses built up. When life inevitably was unjust to her, she'd most likely fold under the pressure. She hadn't learned from an early age to ignore injustice and push through. The more I watch the world around me, the more I'm convinced she wasn't a stand-alone case, but rather the exemplar of a generation.
What is especially hard to take is when life is unfair BECAUSE a person is righteous. Job is a good example of this. We learn in 1:8 that the reason God pointed out Job to Satan is because he was "a blameless and upright man who fears God and turns away from evil." All those horrible things happened to Job because he was good! No wonder he proclaims in 19:6-7 that "God has put me in the wrong . . . there is no justice". Job was crying out, "This isn't fair!" and God says that what Job said about Him was right (42:7-8). And, let's face it, the last of the Beatitudes doesn't really sound like a blessing: "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you." (Matt. 5:10-12) I should be happy when I'm persecuted for righteousness? That's the definition of not fair! Happy when people revile and persecute me because I proclaim Jesus? What is going on? And yet we are told this is what we should expect: "Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted." (2 Tim. 3:12).
Just as we must learn to live our lives in an unfair world, we must learn to live as Christians under even less fair circumstances. The story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in Daniel 3 shows us the attitudes we need to face a life of such service. I imagine we all know this story. Nebuchadnezzar erected an idol and ordered all his officers to worship it or be burned to death. Those three young men did not worship and were hauled before the king. They were being punished for not sinning! Not fair! When given a second chance by the king, they responded with "If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.” (Dan. 3:16-17)
The first thing to notice is that these men did not deign to speak for God. "If this be so [that the king was going to throw them in the furnace] our God . . . is able to deliver us". They knew He was able, but they couldn't control what God would do. All they could control was their own actions: "But if not [even if God doesn't save us] . . . we will not serve your gods".
All too often our faith is based upon what we suppose God will do. We believe that once we turn our lives over to God, everything will always work out for the best here on Earth. Our financial problems will go away, our health issues will heal up, our family life will become Cleaver-esque and all temptations will cease. When that doesn't happen, when, in fact, our lives get tougher because of our faith, we fold. We act like that young lady at Publix who had never heard that sometimes life isn't fair. This is the height of silliness, since we are repeatedly told that living for God will lead us to being persecuted by those who live for this world.
So what do we do in the face of such unfairness? We follow Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego's example. We focus on living for God, not matter what happens, secure in our belief that He has a plan that ultimately will lead us home to Him. We don't dictate to God, we submit to His will. Whatever happens in our lives, we hold to the knowledge that He is our hope of salvation. In this, we follow the example of Job who, later in the same chapter in which he claimed "there is no justice", made one of the great confessions of faith: "But as for me I know that my Redeemer lives, And at last he will stand up upon the earth: And after my skin, even this body, is destroyed, Then without my flesh shall I see God" (Job 19:25-26)
Life isn't fair. The Christian life is even less so. Don't worry about what God will do in each situation. Focus on living for Him, sure in the faith that He has a plan that is leading towards your ultimate, eternal good. Whatever destruction this life throws in our way, know this. Hold to this:
"I know that my Redeemer lives" Job 19:25
Lucas Ward
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