With holiday times just around the corner, many of us will be gathering
together with friends and family to eat and celebrate special seasonal
occasions. Some of the invited guests are seen on a regular basis, while
the company of certain others is only enjoyed during special times of
celebration, such as those who live out of town. Nevertheless, holidays
always seem to present both comfort and discomfort among friends and family.
Recently I was asked my advice in regard to whether or not a brother and
his family should be invited for Thanksgiving dinner at a sister's home.
Apparently he has slighted his sister and her family at other functions
during the course of the past year and she is struggling with whether
or not she wants to extend the invitation to him as a result. She is tempted
to repay her brother's unfairness with the same unkind behavior... Ladies,
how much fairness should be exercised and expected in life? What should
we do when confronted with unfairness?
Genesis 31:2-6, "And Jacob beheld the countenance of Laban, and, behold,
it was not toward him as before. And the Lord said unto Jacob, Return
unto the land of thy fathers, and to thy kindred; and I will be with thee.
And Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah to the field unto his flock,
And said unto them, I see your father's countenance, that it is not toward
me as before; but the God of my father hath been with me. And ye know
that with all my power I have served your father."
Though others may change their behavior toward us, we should never be
unfair in return. Yes, Laban treated Jacob unfairly, but God still increased
Jacob's prosperity. You see ladies, God's power is not limited by lack
of fair play! He has the ability to meet our needs and make us thrive
- even though others mistreat us. To give in and respond unfairly is to
be no different from your enemies. Remain a servant as did Jacob.
Judges 11:7, "And Jephthah said unto the elders of Gilead, Did not ye
hate me, and expel me out of my father's house? and why are ye come unto
me now when ye are in distress?"
We should know that sometimes the unfairness in the world is made right...
Jephthah, an illegitimate son of Gilead, was chased out of the country
by his half brothers. He suffered as a result of another's decision and
not for any wrong he had done. Yet in spite of his brothers' rejection,
God used him! If you are suffering from unfair rejection, don't blame
others and become discouraged. Remember how God used Jephthah despite
his unjust circumstances, and realize that he is able to use you even
if you feel mistreated.
Job 14:1, "Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble."
Job laments in his closing remarks, that life is brief and full of trouble.
Sickness, loneliness, disappointment, and death caused Job to say that
life is not fair. However, we must remember that God offers an eternal
answer to the unfairness in the world. Our heavenly Father's solution
to His children who live in an unfair world is to guarantee life with
Him forever! Ladies, no matter how unfair your present situation seems,
God offers the hope of being in His presence eternally. Through Christ,
we are made free from the treatment we did deserve - eternity in hell
forever for our sins! Have you accepted this offer?? If so, you ought
to be able to handle a little unfairness without falling apart, don't
you think?
Proverbs 16:11, "A just weight and balance are the Lord's: all the weights
of the bag are his work."
Here we find that God expects fairness from us! Whether we buy or sell,
make a product or offer a service, or even put on a Thanksgiving dinner
for friends and family, we know what is honest and what is dishonest,
amen? Sometimes we feel pressure to be dishonest in order to advance ourselves
or gain more profit - or get even. But ladies, if we want to obey God,
there is no middle ground: God demands honesty in every situation! No
amount of rationalizing can cover up a dishonest practice... When a man
meets up with unfairness, it is then he is introduced to himself, amen?
I hope you are not in the habit of letting others determine the kind of
Christian you will be! We must be totally committed to righteousness.
Honesty and fairness are not always easy, but they are what God demands.
Ask the Lord for discernment and courage to be consistently honest and
fair, regardless of who you are dealing with.
Isaiah 11:5, "And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and
faithfulness the girdle of his reins."
The Bible teaches that fairness is a part of God's character. God will
judge with righteousness and justice. How we long for fair treatment from
others, but do we give it?? We hate those who base their judgments on
appearance, false evidence, or hearsay, but are we quick to judge others
using those standards? Only through Christ can we be fair in our judgement.
Only as He governs our hearts can we learn to be as fair in our treatment
of others as we expect others to be toward us! In Isaiah's day, Judah
had become corrupt and was surrounded by hostile, foreign powers. Unfairness
was everywhere. The nation desperately needed a revival of righteousness,
justice, and faithfulness. (Sound like America?) They needed to turn from
selfishness and show justice to the poor and the oppressed. Ladies, the
righteousness that God values is more than refraining from sin. It is
actively turning toward others and offering them the help they need.
Isaiah 33:15-17a, "He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly;
he that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands from
holding of bribes, that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and shutteth
his eyes from seeing evil; He shall dwell on high...."
In closing, what has caused or would cause you to conclude that life is
not fair? When have your experiences in life contradicted your desire
for fairness? Just as I had to consider the counsel I gave to a hurting
woman, what is one thing you will change about the way in which you advise
hurting people or about the way in which you try to console them in regard
to unfairness? Fairness, in summary, should characterize those who belong
to the Lord. The best way to satisfy your desire for justice is to be
fair to God - do what pleases Him in every circumstance! He willingly
took the punishment of your sins upon Himself when He didn't deserve to;
doesn't it seem unfair to disregard the Lord simply because of someone's
mistreatment of you? Unfairness, therefore, is conquered by God's love.
God Bless,
Pam
Isaiah 60:1&2
Copyright 2001 Pamela A. Iannello
