When Life is Unfair

Life is unfair.It's not a matter of if life will be unfair but when.Bad things happen to good people.Good things happen to bad people.Let me be honest for a minute and tell you how I used to view unfairness in life. I despised it! My black and white view of unfairness wasn't about getting even but in making sure justice was served. It was only fair after all! I hated the unsatisfied nawing that came when unfairness was never reconciled. Many times I had a little chat (more like interrogation) with God where I sat high and mighty on my fairness-at-all-cost inquisition throne, questioning God."Why did evil people get so much money and power and while hard working people were taxed right out of their earnings?""Why did a struggling grandma get cheated out of retirement and the schemers get away scott free?""Why is a mom who beats and neglects her kids able to get pregnant and a loving couple can't even conceive?Why, why, why, why...Why? Because God didn't come to make life fair. He came to seek and save the lost. He came to redeem the world which was the real pricless gift that was needed; a gift that allowed for the promise of future, final, fair judgement.This side of heaven will have unfairness. That is part of the cost of free will in a sin filled world. Mankind can choose to do evil or good. We can return evil for evil or good for evil. The choice lies with each individual. As I've grown, I have found that no matter how unfair someone is, I am NEVER justified in using an unfair response. The brain has a funny way of justifying responses we once deemed unfair as fair when presented with an unfair situation. But that would be returning evil for evil which would make me or anyone just as unfair and nasty as the instigator.Let me clarify, I am all for standing up for yourself! Don't just roll over and play dead or allow someone to keep treating you unfairly if it is in your control to get out of that situation. What I'm talking about in this post is working on refining our personal responses to the initial unfair circumstances that happen to us and around us. I want to encourage us to return good for evil by returning unfairness with justice tempered with grace and charity.Life is unfair.But we can still choose to overcome unfairness by being fair and kind in our response.