It's Not Fair!

"That's not fair!"

Three words my young daughters use fairly frequently to helpfully educate me on my parenting.
My basic response is: no it's not. Get used to it. Life isn't fair.

But I'm curious, where did we get this idea that everything has to be fair? Why do kids instinctively complain about unfairness? And not just kids. People have been whinging about it for eons. Right through the Bible we see people complaining about unfairness. "Why do good things happen to bad people, while I'm here doing the right thing, and it looks like I'm cursed.... That doesn't seem fair."

Actually, I can't find any reference in the Bible where it says things should be fair. Contemplate that for a second.

The fact of the matter is, God has created a world that isn't fair. And I'm not convinced this is a bad thing. Inequality creates some amazing opportunities for love and grace, generosity and sacrifice. It's an opportunity to show people that we care enough to be generous - to give love. And for those on the difficult side of the equation, it's an opportunity to receive love and care.

What kind of painting would it be if the painter only used white? It'd just be a blank canvas, or a sheet of paper. I can buy a 500-pack of those sheets for under $5.

It's all of our differences that bring the colour.

And go with me a little further for a minute....
I think this whole obsession with fairness might be a dangerous one that might be better left behind. If you think about it, God's blessings go far beyond fairness. His generosity is extravagant beyond what we deserve, and as followers of Christ, we should follow his example. We should go far beyond fairness - even beyond the point where we worry that our generosity might be abused or taken for granted - and extravagantly bless people way beyond what they deserve.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this, and possible implications you could see for the world.