The Struggle with Fairness…Finding Justice

Have you taken notice of the current trend that the wonderful world of entertainment offers all of us? Almost every channel offers some version of court proceedings. People like Judge Judy and Judge Wapner became household names due to the public rubbernecking of seeing folks get their day in court. You can see who the real father is in Paternity court, watch the dissolution of marriages in divorce court, and for everything else, there is always the people’s court where folks seek to have their case heard and receive the justice they feel they deserve. We are reminded when we tune in that these are “REAL” people who have surrendered their “REAL” cases to be adjudicated and that “REAL” justice will be served.

While the outcomes are based on statutes and said laws of whatever the governing jurisdictions are, the viewers get a dimestore novel education of the law. Often the outcomes seem to slant more toward social fairness than anything else, and one must be reminded that this is entertainment. For sure, the popularity of this venue reveals that a lot of us are fascinated with seeing justice prevail. Or so we think.

Our desire for fairness starts early in life. Just go to a daycare or a classroom and ask the teachers how many cases of “unfairness” they settle in a day’s work. Certainly, as a parent of two children, I sat as both judge and jury as my offspring pled their cases. Everything from who gets to shower first to the debate about who rides in the front seat. With an age gap of six years between them, I heard more than I wanted to. Either it wasn’t fair that the oldest got more privilege or the youngest got more attention. I learned quickly and with help from my dear old dad that while parenting needs to be impartial, it cannot be a slave to fairness. Because, as it has been said, life isn’t fair. In the eyes of my kids, I could not be fair at times for their own well-being and good. They were different people and had different needs.

Fairness and true justice are not the same things. While fairness can bring a temporary sense of satisfaction, justice is based on a higher moral standard and serves to establish right in the long term perspective. As a follower of Christ, I must get a biblical God-inspired perspective of what God has deemed as just and right. This means I must examine how much my culture has influenced my thinking. Never before in the history of man has there been more focus on the unfairness of life. It seems everybody, organization, tribe of people has a case they are pleading.

I like to think from this point that justice can present as fair, but often it will not. Fairness is a childlike, immature version waiting to grow up into justice. For example, in the Garden of Eden, creation was established as paradise. We know that because it was perfect, injustice is sin, and sin had not yet entered. The enemy came along with the concept of unfairness, getting Eve to doubt how just the Lord was when He forbid the couple from partaking in the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Looking back, we can see that it was just for God to do this, but the temporary desire for fairness led all the way to Calvary, where the perfect justice of God was meted out. Was it fair that Christ, who lived a perfect life and only did good to all, would be rejected, betrayed, and die a criminal’s death on behalf of mankind? From the human perspective, we shout NO! But those of us who know Christ know that God’s justice was served perfectly, balancing the scales once and for all; God’s Justice trumps fairness every time. Is it fair that God would allow me into heaven despite my failures and persistent weakness for breaking His laws? No, but because God is just, He brings me into heaven based on the law being satisfied through the mercy and grace Jesus provided for me;

Now, what does my struggle for fairness look like in daily life? It is not fair that the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. It is not fair that children get cancer and those innocent bystanders are victims of heinous crimes. It is not fair that folks work hard to get ahead, and the other guy gets the promotion.?Is it fair that I try to live according to God’s standards, and would I be ridiculed for it? God addresses this in His word, and Jesus, Himself, told us that we would be mistreated and that the prophets of old faced this as well. Jesus reminded us unfairness wasn’t a new problem. On a lesser scale, it is not fair that the parking spot I found and waited for was absconded by a rude driver who was quick at the wheel. Or that the line in the store I am staying in has come to a halt while all the others I passed by now seem to be moving rapidly.

We all laugh, but if we don’t let go of seeking fairness to be addressed daily, anger, frustration, and resentment build up. While it does, it leads our spirits away little by little from embracing the justice of God. The spirit reminds me prayerfully heaven is just and perfect. Everything will be balanced there, not here. This means I am learning to let go more and more of earthly fairness and the fleeting satisfaction it can bring. I can get so busy fighting for fairness that pretty soon, all my energy and time are consumed, and there is no time left to channel the justice of God. God reminds me in His word that justice and avenging my cause are His job, not mine. I can feed and help the poor, care for the widow and orphan, bind up the brokenhearted, and share the good news of Christ. This is just and right.

As I move toward pursuing the way God wants me to live, My childlike desire for fairness can be transformed and matured into a deeper love and respect for what is just in the eyes of the Lord. I can leave fairness behind, knowing God hears my case and justice will be served.

So, I have to ask myself, is there something that seems so unfair right now that it is causing me to struggle? Have I developed a preconceived idea of what true justice would be and won’t be satisfied until I “get my day in court? Have I appointed myself both judge and jury or, better yet, prosecuting attorney over my enemies? Today, I am reminded the Bible is full of references and reminders that God is the only righteous judge in the land. And at the end of time, Jesus will serve as s ultimate judge. Keeping my eyes toward heaven and reminding myself that I am a citizen of that place will help me not get sidetracked by all the unfairness that this life can dish out. The Bible tells us that Good wins out over evil, and for those of us in Christ, our cases will be heard and settled. The Garden will be restored, and unfairness and injustice will be banished forever. Hallelujah!

Lord, help me to love what you love and hate what you hate. Help me to lend justice and mercy when and where I can. Help me to not obsess over what is fair.

Next week The 5 o’clock worker will celebrate Thanksgiving in the vineyard by reflecting on ‘The Struggle with Gratitude… Finding Contentment,