Wherever there is a man created, mess, whether it’s a teenager’s bedroom or an ecological disaster, you will find that someone acted irresponsibly. Irresponsible people create messes they don’t clean up and debts they do not pay. But most irresponsible people will argue, that their irresponsible behavior is justified or at least excused because life is not fair. 

During spring break my wife and I told our oldest grandson that we were going to take him New York City as a graduation present. When his younger brother heard the news he immediately exclaimed, “It’s not fair”. More than likely this same childhood attitude was present in our lives too; that at one point or another, we said the same thing to our parents or grandparents. To which they probably responded, “life is not fair”.  

Today we have a whole culture of adults with the same childhood attituded, arguing from left, right and center that life is not fair. But the truth is that we only want life to be fair when it benefits us. If I get a bigger slice of the pie, I don’t say, “it’s not fair” I say, “what a blessing”. But the person who got the smaller slice is thinking, “it’s not fair”.  The problem is that when we focus on the things that others have that we don’t have it becomes our excuse to act irresponsibly. But in life, the more important question is not what is fair? The most important question is, what am I doing with what God has given me? 

You, then, why do you judge your brother or sister? Or why do you treat them with contempt? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat. It is written: “‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee will bow before me; every tongue will acknowledge God.’”  So then, each of us will give a personal account of ourselves to God. – Romans 14:10-12 NIV