My boys were playing a board game one rainy afternoon. It was down to the last spin. One of my sons got the number he hoped for and crossed the finish line, winning the game. The loser stomped his feet and declared, “That’s not fair! He always wins!”
My boys are not alone in their view of life. I often look at the circumstances of my life, my failed dreams, struggles, and trials, and think, “It’s not fair.” I look at the successes of others, their achievements, adventures, and lifestyle and think, “Why them and not me?” And I wonder, why do some people seem to always win and I always lose?
God rules over everything.
I told my son when he lost the game that God intended it for a reason. I reminded him that God rules over everything, even a spinner on a game and he now had an opportunity to learn something from the loss. I also reminded him that by focusing on his loss, he missed an opportunity to rejoice with his brother and encourage him for his win.
Good advice for my own heart, wouldn’t you say?
My kids often say that life isn’t fair. I’ve told them that if life really were fair, we’d all get what we deserve—eternal death and separation from God. In fact, we don’t deserve a single thing, neither life or breath or anything else. Yet God continues to let the rains come down on both the just and unjust (Matt. 5:45). He gives mercy each new morning (Lam. 3:23). He strengthens the weary and gives peace to the anxious (Isa. 40:29; Phil. 4:7).
