I'm sure everybody in the world has felt like he or she has gotten shafted at some moment in their lives; some more than others. It is definitely not a pleasant feeling when you feel like you got the short end of the stick in a situation. The first desired reaction is to lash out, or rant and rave. This may very well be warranted, but take a moment to think before you start spewing all kinds of information.
A few weeks back I was flipping through the book of Proverbs and came across a verse that was very insightful. Proverbs 10:18 states, "He who conceals his hatred has lying lips, and whoever spreads slander is a fool." Initially, this verse put me in quite a predicament. Recently, I have found myself in a situation that I do not view as "fair" and I feel like I have been given the short end of the stick. My first reaction of course is the desire to vent my rage over my so-called injustice. This is sometimes not smart because it could lead to inadvertent slander, which would make me a fool. I also know that it is not smart to contain any hatred because that would make me a liar if anybody asked me how I felt about the situation and I claimed that it didn't bother me at all.
Many of you might be wondering what the other possible alternative is to alleviate any feelings of injustice. My answer is to turn to Jesus and pray about it. Not only does He know everything that goes on in your life (Psalm 139:1-4 ~ "You have searched me, Lord, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely."), but you are also very important to Him. This becomes apparent when reading Luke 12:6-7, which states, "Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows." To top this all off, He is also very aware of what it feels like to suffer an injustice. Do not forget that He died for your sins, but He was a sinless man. Read the following verses to remind yourself what Jesus did for you:
Romans 8:3-4 ~ "For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit."
2 Corinthians 5:21 ~ "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."
1 Peter 2:24 ~ "He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed."
In the grand scheme of things, any injustice you might face here on this Earth cannot possibly come close to the greatest injustice in history: Christ dying on the cross. What needs to be realized, though, is that this injustice was necessary for us to acquire the Holy Spirit and be able to receive eternal life through God's grace (Ephesians 2:8-9 ~ "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and in this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--not by works, so that no one can boast.") With this in mind, there might be a reason behind any injustice you face in life, and it will be revealed to you at an appropriate time when you can learn from the circumstance.
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