Life is not fair

Katie and I with the babies

Life is not fair. I say this in a grouchy tone sprung from the massive headache that developed from a week of the worst cold of my life. It’s probably more than a cold. Why is it that I always get the most sick away from home? As Katie, a fellow student missionary, said, “I have been more sick during the four months here than the past ten years.”

Life is not fair. Ever since I was little I tended to keep an eye out for what was fair. If someone was not fair to me I would say something. More like, “Mommy! Janelle is not sharing!” or “Mommy! Jonathon ate all the cookies!” I guess it is the middle child syndrome or something but I thought I had an idea of what was right and what was wrong and I wanted to enforce it. That sense of fairness has stuck with me through the years. Splitting bills at restaurants, sharing a bowl of snack food or candy, and scheduling shower times with roommates are some small things that bother me if not done fairly.

Me and some kids from my old class

Life is not fair. In the classroom as a student I always wanted the teachers to treat every student the same. If they didn’t it wasn’t fair. They need to give each student the same opportunities, the same help. To some extent I still believe that but I noticed in the classroom as a teacher I don’t treat ever student the same. I praise the students differently, I punish the students differently, and I help the students differently. I don’t show favoritism, however, I use different methods to get the same point across. Methods tailored to each student’s character.

Me and some kids from my new class

Life is not fair. God doesn’t treat us all the same. He doesn’t talk to us all the same. God uniquely and personally interacts with each of us. I just read the other day in the bible about spiritual gifts and this passage struck me. 1 Corinthians 12:4-6, “There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men.” To me this struck me saying it is ok to be different we all are and it is good. All these differences make the big picture greater. Sometimes unfairness is necessary to achieve the best out of each individual. This world is full of a variety of characters, each offering something unique. We should embrace these differences and grow them through reasonable unfairness. I believe our world is healthier and stronger when we embrace individual uniqueness.

The now class 5 girls over for a sleepover

So now, I say this with less whining (still a little because my headache as not gone away), and a smirk on my face: Life is not fair.