When I was a kid, I’d often say “It’s not fair!” to my parents when I felt my brother had less chores or more privileges than I did. My parents would usually respond by saying straight-faced, “Well, we love him more than we love you.”
I would always laugh because even as a very young child, I knew it just wasn’t true. My parents knew that saying something that ludicrous to me would make me realize they weren’t being cruel by giving me what I perceived to be the short end of the stick.
More recently, I had a silent temper tantrum in my head when a friend announced she was pregnant with her 4th and 5th children. Yes, twins without fertility treatments! The first thought that popped in my head was, “God, why does she get five children when I can’t even get one? It’s not fair!!”
I thought about these things when I received a review copy of God is Just Not Fair: Finding Hope When Life Doesn’t Make Sense by Jennifer Rothschild. I’ve been putting off reading it, but after our failed frozen cycle, I figured now was a good time to read it.
Rothschild, who went blind as a teenager, uses Biblical stories and personal experiences to addresses six questions we often ask God in the middle of “unfair” circumstances:
- God, are you fair?
- God, do you err?
- God, do you hear prayer?
- God, do you care?
- God, are you aware?
- God, are you there?
This book doesn’t spare the tough issues. Rothschild tells stories of how other blind people have been healed while she’s still praying for her own healing. She writes about her jealousy and disappointment when other people receive the healing she longs for herself. Yet she remains firm in her belief that while God may not always seem fair, he is always just. In order to survive the tough times, we must “realize that seeking to know the answers is far less important than seeking to know God.”
Rothschild doesn’t sugar-coat things and promise that everything will work out the way you want it to. Yet she writes with a sensitivity and understanding that doesn’t make you feel bad for wrestling with the hard questions. I’d highly recommend this book if you’re struggling with faith or doubt in the middle of infertility.
Do you ever feel like God is not fair? Any thoughts about this book? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.
This book sounds amazing! I’m definitely putting it on my list! Thanks for mentioning it!
Still thinking of you! Hope you’re taking extra good care of yourself!
Thanks, Amanda! I am!
I think I for sure need to read this book right now. It seems like when things are going well in my life I probably don’t spend as much time with God as I should so you’d think when times are stressful I’d be clinging to God. For instance, right now during this time of trying to figure out what’s next for our infertility treatment and will it even work? For some reason I don’t even find myself begging and pleading but feeling somewhat distant and I don’t even know why. I mean yes I spend every morning before I leave for work reading scripture and praying for God to guide us but I don’t feel that closeness for some reason and I have so very much to be thankful for! Anyway sorry for the lengthy comment and thank you for sharing this book!!
I am super excited to read this book! A copy of it is on the way!!! I love that Jesus isn’t fair though – if he was fair we would all get death on the cross – just as our sins deserve!! So glad he is so gracious!!
I’m reading the why book now!!! Thanks for these great reviews!
I’ll definitely be checking this book out. Thanks!
Awesome, I hope you enjoy it!
“Silent temper tantrum” is a great way to put it. I have had my share of those.
I’m thankful that God is not fair. It wouldn’t be fair for one person to be punished for another person’s guilt. Yet Christ was punished for our sins. Unfair, but amazing!
I am reading this book when I have the extra time and finding it to be an awesome book. She tells a fascinating story about being blind in the beginning of the book. I loved your story of how your parents responded to your claim as a child, ‘that it wasn’t fair!’
So glad you’re reading this, too, Judith! 🙂