When Life Just isn't Fair....

“Life is never fair, and perhaps it is a good thing for most of us that it is not.”
~Oscar Wilde

In college I had a roommate that we'll call Lily. She was tiny and often went on "take out marathons," eating tacos, burgers, and shakes all in a mere hour or so and yet she never put on weight. I, on the other hand, have always had a weight problem. My body clings to it's fat. It's easy to gain and hard to lose. For a long time I was bitter about my problem, about the fact that I had to work harder than others to stay at a healthy weight. It wasn't fair! Lily could eat an entire gallon of fudge drenched ice cream in one sitting and never see her weight go up, while I could merely look at a chocolate bar and plump up, at least that's what it felt like to me.

Eventually I gave up the battle to stay healthy and rebelled against common sense and my body and began to eat what I wanted. If lily could do it, so could I! Of course the only one who suffered from my rebellion was me. I began to have health problems and this only furthered my bitterness. Why did God curse me with such bad genes? Why me and not them?

It's very easy to sit as the accurser against God. Think of Job, a righteous man who'd done everything he could for God and yet suffered the loss of his family, his house, his wealth, his health, and his friends. The truth is, life is not fair, and thank God it isn't!

Thank God? Yes! Thank God life is not fair, because if it was fair, we'd all get what we deserve and none of us want that, because the truth is what we deserve is much less than what we have. See, in life there will always be someone who has more, someone whose life is perceived as easier or more glamorous. But God in His wisdom asks us not to covet what our neighbors have, including metabolisms. He employs us to be thankful for what we do have and to use it to the best of our ability so that we can be entrusted with more as worthy stewards, and yes, this applies to our bodies as well for they are His temple.

When we cry, wine, and lament over the things we do not have, we only end up hurting ourselves. Focusing on what we do not have blocks us from enjoying what we do. Focusing on the fact that it's harder for me than most to maintain or lose weight kept me bitter, angry, and heavier than I needed to be and that kept me from enjoying a healthy life. The only person that was loosing out on life was me!

Life isn't fair, and it will never be in a fallen world. But we don't have to worry long because God is just and fair and when He comes, this fallen world will be transformed. And for what it's worth, I'm believing for a body that can eat whatever it wants and still look slim....I mean, we will get glorified bodies one day right? Until then though you'll find me at the gym praising God for what I do have, even if I have to work a little bit harder than most....

**And for those that want to know, I've lost 30lbs so far!**

**Here's a good sermon text: Life isn't fair, but God is good!**