An Important Lesson to Learn

My mom and dad used to make me do the most unreasonable things when I was a child and a teenager. They made me do different jobs. They made me mow the yard, work in tobacco and hay. They made me work in our store stocking shelves, sacking groceries, pumping gas and other non essential tasks. Even on some weekends after I had my driver's license my dad would make me work until closing some times. Very often I would let them know how I felt by saying, “That’s not fair!”

“That’s not fair!” A term kids learn to say very early in life. I used that a lot. But it didn’t do any good. Many times it just made things worse for me, especially with my dad. I was badly mistaken back in those days. What my parents made me do was very fair and very good for me although I didn’t like doing all they made me do. I did learn that there were experiences and situations in my young life that definitely were unfair. I learned that life is not always fair. That’s the way it is for everybody. Life is not fair. What happens to us in life is often extremely unfair. The quicker we learn that unfortunate truth the better off we will be. Some things that are unfair can be righted, but others will never be made right.

I was hardheaded. I made things worse for myself because I would not accept what I thought was unfair for me. “You doth protest too much” is a line which comes to mind as I remember how I acted as a kid. That would be my dad’s opinion. And he would proceed to punish me because of my protesting. Fair or not I was so wrong to buck the authority of my dad.

There is much suffering in the world because people are being treated unfairly. These poor people can do nothing about the way they are treated. Thousands of Christians are being persecuted because of their faith. It’s not fair. Yet, these saints do not waver. They are strong in their faith holding high the banner of Christ. What is the answer? Romans 8:28 is the answer. “All things work together for good to them who love the God, to them who are called according to his purpose.” All things, even those which are grossly unfair, work out for the good because ultimately God will be glorified, and his power will be demonstrated. It is a privilege to suffer for Jesus. After all did not he suffer for us? Now that was something that was certainly not fair.