There is nothing fair about life or ministry, yet, we spend an enormous amount of time and energy trying to make everything fair for ourselves, our our youth ministry, and our leaders. Jesus was not fair. Jesus chose less qualified people and shunned the most qualified. Trying to be fair:
- Decreases trust in our leadership.
- Hampers our ability to make hard decisions.
- Pushes us towards people pleasing.
- Leads us to be double minded.
- Cautions us from taking risks
- Keeps us from pulling the trigger on important projects.
It’s not fair that we give scholarships to some kids for camp and not others. It’s not fair that we choose some to be leaders and not others. It’s not fair that we spend more time with students than others, but we do and we should stop feeling guilty about it. Jesus did not apologize for choosing Peter, James, and John to be with him during pivotal moments. He did not apologize to the Jews for blessing Samaritans. He did not apologize to the Pharisees for saying that prostitutes and thieves would make it into the kingdom before them.
If we have a chance to be fair, in certain cases, we should. Trying to build our lives or ministries centered on fairness is like chasing Big Foot, it’s a myth.
Where are you being fair where you should be leading? I think my post Timing Is Everything is complimentary to this)
How has being fair cost you?
How has not being fair led you to success?