It has been a few years now since my mother passed away, so I figured it was time to shred her business papers. There was a box of old check registers, annuity papers, receipts for things long gone. There were documents scribed with my father’s name and the names of her other two husbands. She buried three. She would be upset with me telling you this. Actually I thought it was kind of grand that she got three. One of our friends who never married always complained how unfair it was that my mom got three and she never got one. I might add the three she did get were all really fine men.
Life isn’t fair. That’s a difficult lesson for most people. I think we are born with a sense of rightness and when it doesn’t pan out we think we got cheated. Whenever I am tempted to complain about some injustice I remind myself of the millions of people in the world who haven’t had it nearly as splendid as I.
Some people think fair means we all get treated equally. However, if that were the situation, in most cases it would be very unfair. Each of us has different needs. Fairness is receiving what we need, not what someone else got that we do not need. School teachers see this all the time. They have some children who need more time and attention than others who are quick to learn. Giving each child the same amount of time and attention would be most unfair. Each should receive according to their need.
Written by Roger Bothwell on August 19, 2011
Spring of Life Ministry, PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574
Rogerbothwell.org