It's Not Fair

It is he who saved us and chose us for his holy work, not because we deserved it,
 but because that was his plan long before the world began—to show his love and kindness to us through Christ.
2 Timothy 1:9

Ken walked in just as I was sweeping off the pile of bugs that had accumulated overnight on our dining room table.  He started to say something, but I gave him "the look."  You know, the one that only a wife can give.  The one that gently suggests it would be best not to say anything.  He caught himself, lowered his head with a smile, gave me a quick kiss, and headed off to work.  He knew that I was feeling a bit sorry for myself because of the long day of chores that lay ahead, and wise man that he is, he decided that a conversation would likely be counter-productive.

Driving to the market the next day, I saw some other women doing their chores.  Bending low from the hip, they were sweeping the mud outside their shops with tree branches, attempting to make their little businesses more inviting to customers.  My heart broke, and I chided myself for my self-pity.  I had nothing to complain about.

The following Sunday, while on our way to open the 400th corps in the Territory, Ken and I saw a young girl lying on the road ahead.  We told our driver to stop, and we jumped out to see what had happened.  I'm sure that we were quite a sight, running back down the road in our white uniforms.  A few people saw us, and a small crowd started to gather.  Ken cautiously touched the girl on the shoulder, and though she didn't seem to be hurt, she was clearly very weak.  Ken and a few men took her to the side of the road, where we discovered that she had no money and had not eaten for some time.  Ken quickly told the men to take her to a little café that was at the side of the road, and he gave her enough money to eat three full meals that day.

As we drove off a few minutes later, I looked back and was relieved to see the men, to whom Ken had also given some money for breakfast, patiently escorting her into the restaurant.  I whispered a silent prayer, and I thought again about how unfair life can be.  Why does it seem to be so easy for some and so hard for others?  It's a question that often haunts me here.

When we arrived at our destination, Ken and I were whisked away for a full day of celebration.  There was singing, dancing, lots of laughter, and of course, a generous morning tea and a feast for lunch.  But the best moment for me was when a retired officer stood and gave a brief speech.  He told us that their outpost had been founded in 1940, which meant that it had taken 73 years for the congregation to grow to the point at which it could be recognized as a corps.

Once again, I started to think, "How unfair!"  Yet no one else was complaining.  On the contrary, they could not have been happier, giving all the glory to God for His goodness and His grace.

The Lwenya Corps - Corps No. 400 in Kenya West

That's the key, I thought.  I had forgotten about God's grace.  How easy it is for me to fill my mind with thoughts of life's unfairness, when I should be putting all the things that I encounter and experience within the context of what the Saviour did for me.  After all, I deserved nothing, but God still loved me.  

So in a way, I'm glad that life is unfair.  Because if it were otherwise, I wouldn't be able to thank him for blessing me so richly every single day of my life.