Sunday, February 11, 2007

On Fairness

One indicator that points to the fact that we all need God, is our inherent desire for things to be equal or fair.

We see some of this in how we demand equality for all and a level playing field for jobs and education.

And yet, we all know that in reality, life is not playing itself out the way we had idealized. Some children die before the age of 2; jobs are oftentimes given to the one who knows the right person - but who may not be the most qualified; a child is being born to an impoverished family - while another, to milllionaires; a healthy man in his prime, suddenly becomes stricken with terminal cancer. The list goes on.

So what does this all mean? And, what can we learn?

The very fact that we all demand fairness and things to be just - and yet they are not that way - leads us to a conclusion that all is not right here. Our inherent imperative is not being met.

We try to make things right. We institute laws which forbid discrimination and unequal hiring practices. We dictate that all are created equal - and thereby deserve fair treatment.

And yet - we fall short. With all our might, we still cannot make it all better.

This will only lead to a resignation or a hope-filled outlook. As christians, who see a Creator which loves and pursues justice, there is hope for an unfair and oftentimes cruel world. A God who redeems and makes all things new, is really our only hope to quell this inherent desire for all things to one day be made right.

2 comments:

Chris Krycho said...

Indeed! This reminds me of some of the stuff that Lewis wrote - about the fact that if we have a desire and a sense of something, it's for a reason. Our sense of justice exists for a reason, and no matter how hard we try, we are incapable of achieving it for ourselves. Only God is truly just. Thanks for this post, brother!

Aaron said...

Amen - well said.