“That you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.” (Matthew 5:45)

Life doesn’t always deliver equal portions for everyone. Our problem is that we only see in the dimension of time, while there is One weaving the tapestry of our lives with eternal purposes. We arrogantly presume that we are the best judges of fairness and equality. Our limited perspective leads us to compare what we think we deserve with what others appear to get. The invariable result is envy. If we take out our measuring stick too often, we can become angry. When we see God’s grace operates in the lives of people who we feel don’t deserve it.

These are powerful principles that will help us face situations that seem unfair:

1. Remember what you really deserve.

We think we deserve more. We look at what we’ve done and believe that God ought to give us all we want. That’s a dangerously wrong evaluation of worth—after all, all that we have He gave us. Plus, Scripture reminds us that what we ultimately deserve is not heaven, but hell.

2. Envy begins when we compare ourselves with others.

We get into trouble when we look at what others have. We compare and become envious. Be open to seeing the situation from different angles to obtain a well-rounded perspective.

See everything as a learning opportunity. The things that we consider to be misfortunes could actually work out in our favor in the long run. We can increase the chances of turning things in our favor when we learn from our experiences and consider it to be part of our personal evolution and growth. Be proactive, focus on helping others and practice gratitude.

3. We must ultimately trust that God, who owns everything, knows what He is doing.

God is the sovereign ruler of the universe. He alone controls and rules overall. And not only does He know what He is doing, but He also loves us. Everything that occurs in our lives will come either directly from God’s hands or be gently sifted through His fingers. Everything is for the purpose of shaping our lives in His image. Circumstances, events, and problems may not always appear to be “fair,” but they come from our loving Father.

Life isn’t fair. But we know One who is fair—and He can be trusted.