From “Living with Christ” It’s just not fair! Like children who bemoan being denied something that has been afforded another, we all intermittently rail against God for not getting our just desserts. Why did this faithful, God-loving, and generous person get stuck with cancer, lose a job, or get rear-ended in traffic while another who appears completely arrogant, inconsiderate, and self-absorbed didn’t?

Like laborers in the vineyard we challenge God about the perceived inequity of our situation. It’s hard to accept that living a long life of loving and faithful service can net the same eternal reward as an eleventh-hour conversion and repentance that follows a life time of depravity. It’s like a get-into-heaven-free card for a Johnny-come-lately who previously had not demonstrated a smidgen of love, compassion, or care for God or neighbor.

We judge with limited understanding, but God judges with infinite knowledge. We ought to rejoice that God’s infinite compassion and forgiveness can offer us the eternal reward promised for a life well-lived instead of fretting that someone else may not have merited the same benefit.