Life is not always fair
16 “So those who are last will be first. And those who are first will be last.”
Matthew 20 (vs. 1-16)
The story of the landowner in the Bible is a parable that clearly illustrates the concept “Life is not always fair.” Above, verse 16 is the punch line of the parable. The workers who were hired last were paid the same as those who worked all day! Life is not always fair means God is in charge and… I may not understand what is going on?
In our culture, the idea of fairness is held in very high esteem, indeed! If we were to hire somebody in the morning, and agree to the wage, then hire somebody else later in the day, pay them both the same wages, the first person might turn around and sue us! Truly, a person has a perfect right to pay whatever the market will bear, correct? Yet so many people would feel such injustice with this scenario that if it happened often… there might be a riot.
God is in charge! God wants me to accept His Will for me without question. Surrender is the answer to this dilemma. I need to accept that God (the landowner or the employer) can be generous to those hired after me even though He was not generous to me! In this case, he still paid what we agreed upon which ultimately is fair! So where does the unfairness come from? I feel mistreated when I compare myself with those hired after me. The problem is the comparison (our judgment)!
Tough love is what it is called. The second verse of the serenity prayer, “…to accept the things I cannot change…” requires us to discern our powerlessness. Tough love is both difficult to accept and to administer to those who don’t understand your intention. Another example of God’s Wisdom in action is the story of the Prodigal Son. Luke 15 verses 11-32 describe the story of the son who was lost and returns. Several lessons are embedded in this parable yet it is the older son who represents most of us.
31 “‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. 32 But we had to celebrate and be glad...’”
Do you relate to the older brother? Do you get the message? Do you accept or resent that someone less deserving (than you) gets a big break? What is it that makes us think, feel and behave in a way that one might describe as ungracious? Rather than analyze dysfunction let us promote the solution. Compassion and non-judgment are positive attributes that will help us accept our need for gratitude. Discerning God’s Wisdom will satisfy our craving for fairness.
Lastly, in Mathew 5 verse 5, “Blessed are the meek…” and you know the rest!