Fair, Not Equal
By Lexi Cole Ellis
“And my God
will meet all your needs according to the riches of His glory in Christ Jesus.
To our God and Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen.”
Philippians 4:19-20 (NIV)
I learned this phrase when I was
student teaching and have used it quite a bit in my classroom. Whether it’s a
first grade room or fourth graders, there seems three little words I hear about
six times a day. “That’s not
fair!” To which, I calmly reply, “I will always be fair; I will not
always be equal.” There’s a big thing in education called differentiation: It
means we assess individual needs and address them. But my six-year-olds
struggle with it. So to reinforce it, we do a skit. A doctor is visiting three
sick patients. The first patient has a headache. The doctor says, “Go to bed
early tonight. It will be better.” Next patient has a broken arm. The
doctor says, “Go to bed early tonight. It will be better.” Third patient
fell on the playground. The doctor says…you get the idea. We explain that the
teacher is the doctor. Every student has different academic needs for learning.
We need to “treat” his or her specific needs, not do the exact same thing for
everyone.
For as much as I say my phrase and
do my skit, I realized how often I am the six-year-old complaining, “That’s not
fair!” It’s often not out loud, but in my thoughts. And yet, our God - - the
great Doctor and Teacher - - looks on us with love and says gently, “I will
treat your specific needs...it won’t be equal and, fortunately for you, I’ll
give you far more than what’s fair!” He reminds us that He is the Giver and
Supplier; that He is a God who knows exactly what we need, when we need it,
even when we do not.
For me, it’s hard enough being aware
of what slips out of my mouth…being responsible for what I think is tricky! But
the reality is, our God is all-knowing…and my “it’s not fair” thoughts are a
direct result of an ungrateful heart condition. Judging “fairness” is not my
job and, left unchecked, these thoughts can become desires to “have something
which we don’t have, but think we should”…which happens to be the exact
definition of coveting, an identified sin in Scripture.
No matter the age, my kids love the
“It’s not fair!” line. But the reality is, I often do, too. What things am I
complainingly claiming are “unfair”? And, if I’m honest with myself, what does
that reveal about my heart? I still say “I will always be fair; I will not
always be equal” about six times a day…and it serves as a constant reminder for
myself every time.
GOING DEEPER:
1. What things are you claiming as
“unfair” in your thoughts or to God?
2. Identify what you need to do to
address this.
FURTHER READING:
Lexi and her
husband, Andrew, have an adorable puppy named Calvin. She teaches sixth grade
at Silver Lake Intermediate School. Lexi serves with Children’s Ministries and
is the Fresh Start Coordinator.
