Why Is Life So Unfair?

“Expecting the world to treat you fairly because you are a good person is a little like expecting the bull not to attack you because you are a vegetarian.” - Dennis Wholey, American television host and author

It’s no secret that life can feel unfair sometimes. You’re scrolling through news feeds and see another story of a person who had their life taken away too early. You think to yourself, “What kind of world is this?” It’s a question that many of us have asked at some point in our lives. We live in an unjust world, and it can be hard to process why things are the way they are. Dealing with life’s injustices can weigh heavily on your heart and mind.

Focusing on the unfairness of it all will do nothing but keep us stuck in a negative mindset of stress, frustration and bitterness. When you're perceiving most or all your experiences in a negative way, it is extremely difficult to move forward in a positive direction. However, negativity is hard to escape. Even if nothing negative is happening in your own life, tragic, depressing stories are rampant in the media. Death, war, victimization, violence, natural disaster—if you turn on the news, you're guaranteed to get a huge dose of these negative experiences tightly packed into a half-hour segment, often with graphic video footage to keep the visual memory lodged in your brain to replay over and over.

The basic reason that life is not fair is that we live in a sinful world occupied by sinful people. Life is not guided by truth, reason, and justice.  When people are selfish, impatient, or greedy, then they tend to act in ways that secure an advantage for themselves, with no thought of others. As a result, people are treated unfairly.

There are seasons in life where you may ask yourself, “How will I make it?” “How will I survive?” You may feel stretched financially, emotionally, or spiritually. God will take care of you because He loves His children. Be reminded that God is a provider. Your needs are being met. You may not have everything you want, but you have everything you need. Trusting God to provide your needs when you don’t see a way develops a stronger dependence on God, and spiritual maturity.

God is faithful, and we are called to walk by faith and not by sight. (2 Corinthians 5:7). Despite the evolving and unstable seasons that life brings, we are called to trust God. Through times of joy and tribulation, God’s faithfulness remains consistent and steadfast. Life can be hard, challenging, and seem unfair. When things do not go according to our plans, we become frantic, but God remains faithful. He provides us comfort in His Word.

 James 4:10 "Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up."           

1 Peter 5:6  "Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you."

James 1:2-4 “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”

Romans 8:31 “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

Life is not fair. Life now and in eternity is a gift of God’s grace. If eternal life were “fair” (that is, a payment to men, based upon the quality and quantity of their good works), no one would ever see Heaven. Eternal life in Heaven cannot be earned, but it can be received as a gift. It is not those who do the most good deeds who get to Heaven; it is sinners, who know that they deserve nothing but God’s wrath. They gladly receive the gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ and continue to glorify God in this unfair earthly existence. James 1:12 “Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.”

One of the biggest lessons I have learned is to thank God in all situations, unfair or fair, and to depend on Him more by praying, casting my cares on Him, and surrendering. I am striving to be less self-dependent and more God-dependent. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you”.

Gerald Brooks, founding pastor of Grace Outreach Center in Plano, Texas, states:
“The only thing which makes up for life being unfair is God being so great.”