Hi Everyone;
Today I’m going to comment on a topic that I think all of us have thought about at some time in our lives. And that is…”Ger, life is not fair!” (I’m sure some of you are wondering about my spelling of the word…Ger, well that’s kind of a joke. You see, my husband and I were hiking in Newfoundland and found the half-sign that I am pointing at in the picture and it reminded us of the disgruntled sounds our very ferocious Jack Russell Terrier makes when he doesn’t get his way…haha. )
Ok…back on topic. “Ger”…I’m not really complaining, I’m just commenting on the vast number of times that things don’t work out as we think that they should. You know- like when you work really hard at your job or on a project at school- you do your very best and you are certain that your best is good enough to win the prize…the promotion, the recognition, the gold medal. But at the end of the day, some “nobody” who hasn’t worked half as hard as you wins that coveted reward. Outwardly you smile and sometimes congratulate them, but inwardly you scream…”not fair.” In this world we expect to succeed. We expect the rewards for effort. We expect to be able to be “number one” at something…perhaps always. We take aim at our chosen targets, put in our best effort and go for it, with our own power and strength. Then DISASTER strikes. We lose the race, miss the goal, lose our health, lose a loved one, fall off the cliff that we’ve climbed…just when we are about to say…”ta da.” And we sit down and cry, “not fair.” Sometimes we look up and ask, “where are you, God?”
Oh, my, why do we suddenly blame God, when we haven’t really consulted Him before? Probably because we do not wish to blame ourselves. Now that we’ve fallen off of our pedestals, and are sitting in abject defeat, we have time to ponder…our condition, our goals and our relationship to God.
In the Bible, God presents a different picture of our relationship with Him, of our potential goals in life, of what our expectations should be. He says, “Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant and whoever wants to be first must be your slave-just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Matthew 20:25-58 If there was one “person” on this earth that could scream, “Ger…not fair,” it was Jesus, who came to earth to live an unmatched life of service and love, then was judged guilty by sinful mankind and put to death on the cross…for what? For loving us so much, that he sacrificed himself for OUR SINS. Totally not fair, totally LOVE IN ACTION.
So, next time I get lost in my own projects and plans and am tempted to “Ger…not fair,” when things don’t work out, I plan (I hope) to stop, breath and thank the Lord who made me for giving me an opportunity to grow.
See you next time
Lynn