Of course, each person has different needs. That leads us to something important that you should remember when it comes to “fairness.”
People say “it’s not fair” a lot, when what they really mean is they didn’t get their way. That kind of “fairness” doesn’t exist – nobody gets their own way all the time.
You can try to even things out with rules like, when two siblings are arguing over one piece of cake, saying, “One cuts the cake, the other chooses.” But, it’s not always that easy. Things can’t be exactly the same for each person.
We all have to make sacrifices. And, we all have different needs. If you happen to have a sibling with challenges, that sibling will probably need more time than another does. In that kind of a case, you should explain that one person needs more help and why, and show that other sibling how they can be showing God’s love by also giving of their own time, instead of thinking about themselves.
Of course, emphasizing that Jesus always has enough time to give to every one of us helps a lot, as they know they’ll always have Him.
The other type can be best explained by how a small child might use the “life’s not always fair” line. He or she might keep all the cookies instead of sharing, and explain by saying, “life’s not always fair.” You’re right, that’s mean. But, it’s how some people act to excuse their own selfish behavior.
So, you need to ask the Lord to give you wisdom to determine what is fair. Make sure you really are showing love equally toward everyone. Make sure you’re not making decisions selfishly yourself, and if you see it happening, even if it’s your own decisions, correct it and explain why it’s wrong.
We all mess up at times, but you can certainly make things a whole lot better if you are seen to be sacrificing yourself, and if you can explain, on their level, why a certain rule is in place, or why you chose to do one thing instead of another. Catch yourself before others do, and you’ll find things flowing a lot more smoothly.
