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Apr 29, 2023 06:00am

It’s Totally Unfair

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I stood there stunned. A 13 year old girl shocked me with something crazy today. She was sitting in the front of the class, alone. No one really talked to her or paid her any attention and it wasn’t until the end of class I noticed something odd in her hand; a safety pin. Most junior high kids don’t carry safety pins around.

What happened next startled me. And be warned, it’s a little graphic.

She started piercing her finger tips with the needle of the safety pin, lifting enough skin to make it hang there. When I asked her why in the world she was doing that, she looked me dead in the eyes, shrugged and reluctantly told me her mom used to do that to her when she was a baby to make her stop crying.

Excuse me?

I hardly knew how to respond.

I repeated back what I thought I had heard her say and told her I was sorry and gave her a light touch on the shoulder. She held up a finger with the needle hanging and assured me it didn’t hurt anymore.

Her blue eyes told a different story.

And then the bell rang. And she was gone.

I stood there powerless, feeling sorrow stir in my gut. All I could offer her was empathy and a touch. I felt helpless and mad.

Why would someone hurt an innocent child?

Why do so many people suffer injustice?

It is totally unfair.

As I processed this brief and jarring encounter over my lunch break, the Spirit of God reminded me of three things:

1. Jesus knows how it feels to be innocent and to get hurt. He never did a single thing wrong. Not even once. He was the perfect lamb of God. Ironically, I’m writing this on Wednesday of Holy Week, just before Easter. It was on this day that the religious leaders plotted to kill him.

Totally unfair.

But my point here is focused; Jesus understands. He knows how it feels to be tempted and He knows how it feels to be treated unfairly.

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:15-16

2. I’m not innocent. While we never deserve abuse from another human, anytime I think of the sinlessness of Christ, I’m forced to see my own sin. I have made so many mistakes in thought and word and deed, offending the heart of God and rebelling against Him, I could never claim innocence as mine. Jesus knew I could never be good enough to earn a relationship with Him or the Father. It’s amazing that He took on my sin and suffered for my sake in order that I might be forgiven. Hebrews 13:12 says

So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood.

Totally unfair.

3. Jesus will make everything right. The King of kings is coming back and when He does, evil will pay and all things will be made new and set straight. Only His kingdom of love and light and grace will remain! Hebrews 12:27-29 describes what’s coming.

This phrase, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of things that are shaken—that is, things that have been made—in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.Jesus will win. Righteousness will win. While we wait for that day, we can rest in the knowledge that Jesus loves us deeply and wants to help, no matter the situation.

Life on this earth will always be unfair.

Totally unfair.

Choose to believe in Jesus and turn your eyes to Him.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:1-3