Meditation

for God makes the sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous.         Matthew 5:45

“That’s not fair! You got her strawberries and not my blueberries” wailed at the top of 9 yr old lungs while looking in the basket at the farmers market. My mom, sister and I were shopping. Mom, tired of whiny behavior, snapped back “because she’s my favorite.” The lady next to us, with a look of horror, offered to pay for the blueberries. My mom said no. The simple truth was the blueberries weren’t in great shape that day. 

Mom’s usual response to Not Fair was simply Life isn’t fair. I hated hearing that because it meant I wasn’t going to get what I wanted. 

Jesus spoke the words above during the Sermon on the Mount, when he was trying to teach us to love our enemies. Trying to get us to grasp that we shouldn’t act like we deserve equal to anyone else. Good and bad things happen to the just and the unjust. Be prepared.

That’s Not Fair. We look at others and see what they have or how they are treated and think we should have all those benefits also. Self-interest is a hard habit to break. The problem is we are God’s children and don’t have the wisdom to see the whole picture. We don’t miss fairness when we are getting something other’s don’t have (lack of gratitude). We don’t want to see the burdens others carry as part of the great equation. We get focused on ourselves and compare.

My father died before he could walk me down the aisle to get married. My German Shepherd eats more regular meals than some people get. People still doubt I have a legitimate call to ministry because I am female. I’ve never been judged potentially criminal just because of the color of my skin. Rheumatoid arthritis is wrecking my knees and making mobility a problem at times. I’ve had over 40 years with a man I love and who dearly loves me. That’s not fair.

“You didn’t get me blueberries” became a family joke, a short hand for unreasonably comparing what we had to others. Next time you are grumbling that something isn’t fair, remind yourself the rain falls on the just and the unjust. And remember, sometimes only God knows those blueberries are too sour for you.