As we go through the Christian life, we must learn to take steps of faith in serving the Lord. Unfortunately taking these steps is not always as easy as it sounds. As we prepare to move forward by faith, there are often obstacles that seem to stand right in the middle of our path blocking us from taking any more forward steps for Christ. If we are honest with ourselves, these obstacles that arise in our lives stop us more times than we would like to admit. What are we to do when we feel like we cannot get past this huge obstacle that is not only blocking our path but draining us of what faith we may have left? We must look at the examples given to us by God in His Word of those who also faced similar obstacles as we face today. We need to understand that He has given to us all the tools we need to be able to make wise decisions and to be able to break through the obstacles that stop us from moving forward for the Lord.
One of the obstacles we often find ourselves facing is the obstacle of unfairness. When things don’t go as expected we often use the phrase, “that is not fair.” It is the perception of unfairness that causes us to stop any forward momentum on our path of faith. When that perceived unfairness prevents us from moving forward by faith it becomes an obstacle that we must overcome and break through in order to keep moving forward by faith.
In the Book of Genesis in the thirty seventh chapter, we find an example that gives us a look at the obstacle of unfairness. In this chapter and the chapters that follow, we are able to see multiple examples of unfairness in the lives of Jacob’s sons. Joseph and his brothers all faced this spirit of unfairness, and they all dealt with this obstacle in various ways. As we consider breaking through this obstacle of unfairness, we must realize that it is not as much about equaling out the unfairness in life as much as it is about how we respond to the unfairness. For it is in moments of unfairness that we must choose to do what is right based on the Scripture rather than our own feelings. Joseph is the only one of Jacob’s children that responded in a godly way that allowed him to continue moving forward by faith rather than just giving up on what God had planned for him.
As we see described in the lives of Joseph and his brothers, when we face moments of unfairness, we typically have three common responses that we use to balance out any unfairness.
We seek to make things fair for ourselves. This is the first response Joseph’s brothers chose. We seek to get revenge on those we think caused the unfairness. This was the second response of Joseph’s brothers. We seek to know the truth. In the midst of all the unfairness, this is the response Joseph chose. When life does not go the way you expected and when things don’t go the way you wanted them to go, how do you respond? Do you try and make them fair in your favor? Do you seek out revenge on those you feel are responsible for the unfairness in your life? Or do you seek to know the truth as to why it might actually be fair and not unfair?
When we respond to the unfair things in our lives the way Joseph’s brothers did, unfairness becomes the focal point, and we choose to stay stuck behind the obstacle rather than moving forward on the path God has for us. However, when we seek to know the truth of what God wants and realize that He can use that unfairness in our lives to build our faith in Him, we can then break through that obstacle and continue our journey of faith.
May we choose to know the truth in order for us to move forward by faith that all the earth may know that there is a God that loves them.