Is life unfair?

Every day we're reading or listening to part of the Bible together and sharing thoughts with you. Today it’s Bern Leckie:

What did I like about today's reading?

Sometimes I wonder why stories like these are in the Bible. Aren’t these people being really mean with each other? What’s good about Jacob tricking the blessing from his father which should have gone to his older brother Esau? Why is God blessing the world through these people? Where’s the justice?

I think there’s a purpose beyond “that’s just what happened,” though. The writer of Genesis isn’t telling this story to give us an example to try and copy. Instead, this is a big theme of Genesis – the origin stories of things we relate to, like unfairness, struggle and long-standing grudges between people, nations and races.

Should we feel sorry for Esau being cheated? Or should we point to how he didn’t value his birthright when he sold it for a bowl of soup? I don’t think it’s meant to be simple to pick a side here, but if we can relate to the story, we can also start to see it from God’s point of view.

These are the people he’s chosen to bless the world, and neither son deserves his favour. So while we struggle for stuff, God gives his blessings by grace. Is that unfair in a good way?

What did it show me about Father God, Jesus or the Holy Spirit?

God is full of love and grace. He knows what these people are like, and acts to protect them from famine and enemies. God wants us to know that he understands us too and offers hope when we feel life is unfair. This is part of God’s bigger plan to bring the world to recognise him again through this signature love and grace expressed in Jesus.

What am I going to do differently as a result?

I don't like being treated unfairly - no-one does. But I should moan less, at least about the kind of injustices which can be overcome with a bit of love and grace. And I want to get better at grace - it’s so much better than being fair!

Who am I going to share this with?

I recently had an unfair complaint from a radio listener about a song lyric they misheard as rude when it wasn’t. My first instinct was to be fair, point out how they had made a mistake and justify why we didn’t need to edit the song. But grace seemed like a better idea to me and my client who owns the radio station, so I did some editing anyway. I don’t always share why grace is important to me, but I’d like to share this with my client. Hopefully God will be visible through a bit of faith sharing and practical service!