What’s Fair?

All guilty of saying: ‘that’s not fair’, raise your hand.

Seems like we start with that in our preschool years and keep on indefinitely. And often things aren’t fair. But how do we measure misdeeds to determine what is fair? Laws, politics, rules, ethics, morality, tradition? And what does Jesus say to ‘fair’?

“When they hurled their insults at Him, He did not retaliate; when He suffered, He made no threats. Instead, He entrusted Himself to Him who judges justly.” (1Peter 2:23 NIV)

Ouch – that stings when I think of my actions in the face of unjust treatment. You? Even if I may not insult back I still want to make my case about the accusation, treatment, abuse, lie, threat, etc. So what does it look like to entrust ourselves to God?

Perhaps a lifelong pursuit – of triumphs and failures as we learn not to repay or make our case, but to let God’s wisdom and providence make things better than we ever could.

There’s an account of two women who gave birth and one of the women’s babies died. The grieving mother traded her dead child in the middle of the night for the other infant. The other mother realized what had happened. Upon taking their case to the king, he said ‘take a sword and divide the child and give each mother half’ – the real mother cried out ‘please, no give her the baby’ – and the thief said ‘go ahead’. The king knew who the baby belonged to. (2Kings 3:16-28)

Only God has the wisdom to see the big picture, knows what is very best for us, will right all wrongs – if not today, then in eternity. And that’s where trust comes in.

Do we trust God? Is the God we say we trust the One True God? Has He always been and will He always be? These are hard to wrap our heads around – that’s where faith comes in. Even faith is a gift from Him – there’s nothing He requires of us on our own. Why? Because He knows our weaknesses and He provides all we need – even our faith. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not of yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9 NIV)

Now that’s fair!