It's Not Fair

With big brown eyes welling up with tears she said with a quiver in her voice, "Mama, its just not fair.." Her heart came out in a jumbled string of words. The reality of feeling healthy but being limited in her activities had caused a battle with her body and her heart. At this moment, I was speechless. I had no words of wisdom and very little encouragement. I could not lie to her because I know it was hard and she was having to be super patient. Only after about three days, did I feel like I had an answer.

Vandalism at a church that has become a big part of our family; a shooting at a church in Charleston; being a bystander to parents whose child is dying of cancer; and watching friends struggle with unemployment...I wanted to say, "Yes baby girl, I get it, its not fair!"

Then I sat back and tried to view this from a different perspective. If things were always fair, always smooth, always peaceful, always easy then we would never see His might, His power, His grace, His redemption. Changing the perspective helps to see things in a different light and to rejoice.

"For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us

an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison." 

2 Corinthians 4:17

 

We sat knee to knee on the blue and white quilt and the light from the sun hit her brown eyes and showed the light tint that I had failed to see before.  I said, "what would you like to chat about today?" She said, "I don't have anything to say yet, so you go first." Before I could get a word out she grabbed my hands and said, "It's just not fair..." This time I was ready, I was prepared. I said, "Think about it. If God had never allowed our family to go through this trouble we would have never been able to see His miracles in your life! He did so many amazing things (we listed them) and although things don't seem fair right now, we CANNOT forget ALL that He has done for us! And don't forget all of the awesome prayer warriors that you have and how they have been encouraged by God's mighty hand!"

 

"Let all that I am praise the Lord; may I never forget the good things He does for me."

Psalm 103:2

 

When I finished she said, "Yeah, you are right...He is good all the time. But I still miss running." Even though, I hoped that my words and revelation from the Lord would heal that part of her heart, it was only a slight balm to an ever present struggle. So we chose to find things to rejoice in, instead of dwelling on what can't be...right now.

 

"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again; Rejoice! Let your graciousness be known to everyone. The Lord is near."

Philippians 4:4-6

 

Again, the Lord taught me something again. It happens over and over, every storm I run to Him. In the calm, He's not as needed. I don't cling to Him like my life depends upon it. My spirit runs dry. I get frustrated, discouraged, grouchy, and selfish. As I told another one of my kids, "we have to run to the Light because the farther stray the more confessing we must do." I needed to listen to my own advice. Life isn't fair. Unfortunately, there will always be injustice because we live in a fallen world. But praise the Lord, one day, all wrongs will be made right and all sicknesses will be healed and on that day we will stand before the Lord Jesus and REJOICE as one voice, every tribe, tongue, and nation because we have overcome by the Blood of the Lamb. Until that day, let us rejoice in our sufferings and afflictions and draw near to the Lord.