Life. Isn't. Fair. Do you remember the first time you learned that? Perhaps as a kid you heard this iconic phrase from a parent or teacher. Or perhaps you experienced this phrase as a friend or sibling smiled smugly when they possessed something you didn't. Either way, this life lesson, which rang true in childhood, still affects Kingdom Laborers of all ages today.
Jeremiah, a fellow Kingdom Laborer, experienced the unfairness of life. Called by God as a prophet, he preached for decades without a single convert, and in fact, the people he preached to wanted to kill him! Life was clearly unfair for Jeremiah, and in chapter 12 we find him crying out to God. In the above verse, verse 5, we see God's response. He responds to Jeremiah challenging him to recalibrate his perspective of what's “fair.” God responds to Jeremiah's complaint of unfairness telling him that a greater story is happening that far outweighs Jeremiah's personal feelings. God essentially says in verse 5, “the unfairness you are experiencing is training you for your next assignment as a Kingdom Laborer.”
This applies to Kingdom Laborers today. Every unfair moment of life is an opportunity for Kingdom Laborers to get bitter and get off mission, or get better and love others more like Jesus. The rude person in traffic, the friend who betrays, the employer who's unethical, the classmate who blames you: Every moment is an opportunity to train ourselves in forgiveness, and remind ourselves that life isn't about us being treated fairly, but about surrendering and bowing our knee to Jesus, no matter the person, the place, or the cost.
Challenge:
What about you? How on-mission are you? Have the bumps of life made you bitter, or better? Talk to God about it!