March 26 Devotion

That's not fair! I do believe that those might have been the first words I ever uttered. With two older brothers in the mix, how can you blame me? Nevertheless, I'll bet my family, friends, and acquaintances have grown tired of my complaining year after year.

1963 -- I hate my naturally curly hair! That's not fair!
1965 -- I deserved to make cheerleader! That's not fair!
1968 -- Why did I have to get mononucleosis? That's not fair!
1969 -- Why did my dad have a stroke? That's not fair!
1975 -- Why did I have to drive to Fort Gay to teach? That's not fair!
1976 -- Why was my husband poisoned by treated lumber? That's not fair!
1982 -- Why was my daughter born two months early? That's not fair!
1997 -- Why did my mom die of cancer? That's not fair!

Of course, I could fill in many more examples from the ridiculous to the tragic, but you get the idea. As recently as yesterday, I was bemoaning the fact that I am getting $1400 raise and the legislators are getting a $5,000 raise. I am positive that that's unfair! So what is my point? Life isn't fair.

Today's scripture might shed some light on this situation:

Who are you to criticize God? Should the thing made say to the one who made it, "Why have you made me like this?" When a man makes a jar out of clay, doesn't he have a right to use the same lump of clay to make one jar beautiful, to be used for holding flowers, and another to throw garbage into?"

So am I holding flowers or garbage? I guess it depends on the day and my attitude. When I look back at the "unfair" situations now, I realize that each one was designed to help me progress from one life stage to another:

Maybe I had naturally curly hair, in a decade of stick-straight hair, so that I could empathize with my middle school students who feel ugly and different.

Maybe my dad's stroke was supposed to show me that "in sickness and in health" isn't a phrase, but a way of life.

Maybe my mom's death was to teach me to help others with loss and to show me how to die with dignity.

Maybe we don't' know the difference between flowers and garbage. Maybe we should spend less time saying, "That's not fair," and more time learning God's main lesson. Jesus died on a cross for our sins. We didn't earn it; we didn't deserve it; it wasn't fair.

Amen

Becky Warren