I want to begin today by using a quote from C.S.Lewis, then one from his friend J.R.R. Tolkien: C.S. Lewis: “My argument against God was that the universe seemed so cruel and unjust. But how had I got this idea of just and unjust? A man does not call a line crooked unless he has some idea of a straight line- what was I comparing the universe with when I called it unjust?” J.R.R.Tolkien:” The birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus means that one day everything sad will come untrue.”
What is justice? As in the quote of C.S.Lewis, you need something fair and just to compare a thing too in order to make an accurate determination. The definition of justice says out of fairness to justice for both, or all. With due fairness, treatment, appreciation we may determine justice. Our background, or environment as we survive being reared, renders a great deal of information toward how you personally may define justice. Personal values, convictions, beliefs may also nurture a standard for each to base the word justice. As we have all witnessed with a world-wide pandemic things may change in the twinkling of an eye. What was once just , is no longer seen in the same light , in view of all the many other dynamics that we see unfold. In fairness , to keep myself safe, I wore a mask to try to be free of germs, or to minimize those germs. It was never necessary before , now it is. What is justice to a homeless person? That other homeless people respect their part of street they have found refuge on? Is it fair that they are homeless at all? Given a group of specific circumstances to their lives, there is a story that brought them to this point of safety and their own definition of justice.
Maybe that is an extreme example, but I believe that we are living in a privileged country. No, things may not be perfect, but our declared freedom and justice for all -gave us a right to speak our minds, in some countries people have had this freedom taken away long ago. God forbid this should ever happen here in America. I believe we need to embrace how very fortunate we are and my prayers are that our God will help us, because things are surely misrepresented, misunderstood, just broken. Psalms 65:5 “Our God , You save us, and Your fearsome deeds answer our prayers for justice.”Psalms 94:15 says,”Justice and fairness will go hand and hand and all who do right will follow along.”
C.S.Lewis said,” I have received no assurance that anything we can do will eradicate suffering. I think the best results are obtained by people who work quietly away at limited objectives, such as the abolition of slave trade, or prison reform, or factory acts, or T.B., not by those who think they can achieve universal justice or health or peace. I think the art of life consists of tackling each immediate evil as well as we can.” God’s word says, “For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time, are not worthy to be compared to the Glory that shall be revealed through us.(Romans 8:18) I lived in abuse for many, many years of my life. I know what it is to have your freedom taken from you, to have your voice silenced, to have your thoughts taken , your opinions twisted and misunderstood. Life is way too short and uncertain to waste time trying to change a construct that may change in a twinkling of an eye, by political agenda, by popular needs or demands.
Martin Luther King:” … The past is prophetic in that it asserts loudly that wars are poor chisels for carving out peaceful tomorrows.”
I am trusting my God to see the end of this virus, and the end of this civil unrest.