Youth Worker BOOST: Why Is Life Unfair?

ym360 knows youth workers. We know what an incredibly rewarding, yet incredibly challenging job youth ministry can be. There are days when your spirits are sky-high, and there are days when you could use a bit of a “pick me up” from God's Word . . . That's why we're happy to offer Youth Worker Boost, one of the many valuable resources on the ym360 Blog.

Boost is a short, weekly piece of encouragement designed to, well, “boost” your spirits and encourage you as you minister to students. We consider it yet another great opportunity to serve you and your ministry.

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"When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves." (Genesis 3:6-7)

Why is life so unfair? Why do bad things happen to good people?

If you've never had a student ask you that question, some day you probably will. Though it might not exactly be comforting in a moment of grief or suffering, there is an answer. And it's found in the Book of Genesis. You probably know where we're headed with this.

Not long after God created male and female, the Serpent tempted, and Adam and Eve gave in. Sin entered creation, and with it came death, suffering, and all sorts of evil. We should note that God's design for us was that we should live in a world where fairness and justice ruled. An existence where the creation-corrupting presence of sin had no place. A world where right would always win. God gave humankind a choice between right and wrong and humankind chose wrong. Literally.

The sin of Adam and Eve destined us to live in a world of sinful people who make sinful choices.

And because of this, people manipulate other people. They use other people. They hurt and destroy other people. Bad things happen to people because other people act on their bad impulses. But we must always remember, it's not because God wanted it that way. 

The wonderful thing is that the Bible tells us that we have a Heavenly Father who is always fair and just. Not only will all evil ultimately be punished, but one day, evil will lose. We can take heart that God is preparing a place for us where, one day, the question, "Why is life unfair?" will never be asked again.

Our prayer for you: We pray today that instead of driving you away from God, the trials you might be facing might draw you nearer to Him. We pray that you will have the grace and compassion to meet your students' trials head-on, revealing the love of God through your actions and attitudes.

Last Week's BOOST: A Shining Light

Next Week's BOOST: Overcomers

Get more BOOST articles HERE!