Dwell On It: Why is life not fair?

Question: Why does Jesus make things happen that turn your world upside down? 
 
Answer: Genesis 3 tells us that we live in a fallen world because of sin. We are born separated from God because of sin. Because we live in a fallen world, disease, natural disasters, tragedy, death, etc. are all around us. Some never have to worry where their next meal will come from, while others are born fighting for their lives - that isn’t fair. However, what also isn’t fair is the gospel. God created everything (the solar system, nature, people, etc.) and everything was perfect. Then, sin entered the world when Adam and Eve chose to disobey God’s command. So, to redeem those He loves, God sent His one and only son, Jesus Christ, to earth where He lived perfectly, without sin, for 33 years and still was crucified on a cross. The only person in the history of the world who could truly say He didn’t deserve it, yet willingly took the beating, torture, and crucifixion…for us. And what did He get in return? A relationship with us when we choose to follow Him. That isn’t fair–that we get to exchange all of our sinful life for His completely sinless life.

We see in the gospels that Jesus loves to redeem. He redeems people spiritually and physically. Think about and hopefully be encouraged by these truths: this world is NOT the end; God will use our deepest pain for lasting and impactful ministry.

This world is not the end. There is an afterlife and what we choose on this side of eternity (to follow Jesus or not) decides where we spend it. We can be with Jesus forever and realize the truth of Romans 8:18, “Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later.” Simply put, if we could speak to Job or any of the martyred disciples and ask “was it worth it to go through that?” They wouldn’t hesitate to say “absolutely”.

God will use our deepest pain for lasting and impactful ministry. He redeems our situations and trials because that makes us relatable to those around us. When we follow Jesus through a trial, we can turn around and tell others about how Jesus walked with us through it. About the peace that we shouldn’t have had, but did. About the faith that gave us the ability to just put one foot in front of the other day by day. By sharing our story, we remember how God worked and we connect with each other way beyond our usual surface level, daily connections. And that is ultimately the goal of our lives, regardless of circumstances, to point back to Jesus and give Him the glory.