Life isn't fair
We like things to be fair.
Studies have shown that people need to feel they are being paid fairly in relation to their collegues. The actual amount is not crucial but it must be perceived as fair. This is clearly the case with the monkeys in the video.
One study showed that when a person thinks they are underpaid they will slow their work rate or lower their work quality to meet what they think the pay rate deserves.
According to the same studies, people who think they are being overpaid will feel guilty. They will try harder to “earn” the money, but some will leave rather than have the boss “find out” they aren’t worth that much. Weird right?
When Christians try to deal with the Jesus issue from a fairness point of view we often start doing things “for God”. We try to earn love from God or earn our way into heaven by good deeds.
We really want to earn what we get.
But we can’t, Jesus gave us the gift of a right relationship with God, if we chose to take it. Nothing we do can add to it. Jesus did it all.
But we so often get caught up in the cycle of doing ever more “for God”, often without his guidance – simply in an effort to feel good about ourselves.
If we fall into this trap of busyness we can start to judge people who don’t work hard to earn Gods love. We start to think that they might be less deserving. All the while, we say the right thing but we start to act as if we are better than they are, because we have done more for God. As judgment creeps into our hearts, love slips out and our doing good actually starts to cause damage to other people.
As we meet with other Christians, be they new or longstanding members of our faith we need to remember that in Gods eyes we are all equally deserving of our relationship with him. When someone refuses to help in our good work, remember it. Your relationship with God is more important than your good work.
We are equally deserving of his love, and of our home in heaven, not because we have worked
equally hard, but because of what Jesus did. And it isn't fair.
As my mum always says "Life isn't fair"
KG
PS- Second clip is longer and shows the basis of the experiment
Comments