It's Not Fair

I just heard a seminary professor tell this story.  He had given a really tough exam and the scores were really low.  Instead of bumping everyone's scores up, he decided to only bump up the women's scores.  Of course the women were delighted.  Of course the guys were furious.  It's not fair they kept saying over and over.  Well, the professor went on to explain, fair is getting the grade you earned.  That's fair.  The test included the parable in Matthew 20 where the guy who works for an hour gets paid the same amount as the worker who worked for 12 hours.  

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+20&version=NIV

Well, was it fair - really fair that the workers who worked for 12 hours got paid for 12 hours?  Yah.  That's fair. It's what they earned.  I like that.  I'm OK with that.  But... I'm not so good when it comes to watching someone who worked only an hour or two get the same thing.

I'm not so good with grace.

Unless it's me.  Unless I'm the one who worked only an hour.  Unless I'm in the group who gets the grade curve.

I've been having a hard time lately.  I'm really jealous of a friend.  It just seems like she gets life handed to her on a silver platter.  And I get grumpy with her - and with God - and think it's not fair.  It's just not fair.

But then I need to look at what is fair?  Hellfire and brimstone.  Ummm, yah.  That's the fair part of the deal.  That's what a deserve.  That I get eternity in a place where there is no mourning or crying or sickness or lonely Valentine's Days or a week that goes buy without a hug?...

I'm not the worker who worked for 12 hours and got paid for 12 hours.  I'm the worker who worked 3.3348 seconds and got paid a life time of wages.  So what if my friend only worked 333478 seconds and she gets a new car, a diamond necklace or a book deal all in one day?  Does that change my eternity in Heaven?  Absolutely not.

Absolutely not.

And is it fair that I get my eternity in Heaven?
Ab-so-lute-ly not.