Life isn't fair.....how should we handle it?

OK, so we are back in the midst of a topic that is sure to generate some discussion -- hopefully it is thoughtful and we can all learn this week!
When we left yesterday, we said that we can all read our Bibles, and look around us, too, and see that life is not as fair as we might like to think it should be....
So, what is Peter telling us that we should do?
(Here is our focus passage again, so that you don't have to scroll down to our last post!)

Slaves, in reverent fear of God submit yourselves to your masters, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh. 19 For it is commendable if someone bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because they are conscious of God. 20 But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. 21 To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. “He committed no sin,    and no deceit was found in his mouth.”
23 When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. (I Peter 2:18-23)

Wait for it......

I believe Peter is telling us when treated unfairly by a superior, or someone in authority, we should endure by entrusting ourselves to God, Who is our righteous Judge.

Ohhhhhh, man!
I can hear y'all now....."C'mon, Snoodles, this is nuts! Are ya serious here?"  and "But that's about slaves, and we aren't slaves!"

That is indeed one of those things that is far easier to say, than to actually apply in our lives. I read a bunch of commentaries, looking for practical, down-to-earth advice for the tough questions raised here.
I found it tough, too, to figure out how broadly we should apply the principles given to slaves, to our modern day lives.... do these principles go beyond the employer/employee relationship to other situations? Is it wrong to defend ourselves? Is it wrong to speak out when we are treated unfairly? Isn't that just making believers be doormats?
Seriously, there were occasions where Jesus and Paul and others defended themselves, and set their accusers straight!
There are a lot of issues here for us, and I want to make certain that we apply all of this properly. Our chief goal is to honor Him and become more like Him, so let's dig in!

First of all, the situation in verse 18 is a situation where Peter calls for submission, and it's also a situation where we are under authority. Peter addresses this to "servants" or in some translations, "slaves." The word does refer to household servants, but they were not just domestic employees that we think of today. Some households have the resources to hire domestic employees for cleaning, cooking, watching the kids, etc, but Peter was in truth talking to slaves. They were the property of their owners.
We immediately want to protest, "Slavery is wrong, it's evil! That's not fair! They should not have to submit to unjust authority! They should revolt and throw off their slave status!"
But that isn't the biblical approach to righting the evil of slavery. The biblical approach was to exhort slave owners to treat their slaves with dignity and with fairness. They were even told to view them as brothers and sisters in the faith.

Perhaps the reason he was separated from you for a little while was that you might have him back forever— 16 no longer as a slave, but better than a slave, as a dear brother. He is very dear to me but even dearer to you, both as a fellow man and as a brother in the Lord. (Philemon v 15-16)

And slaves were exhorted to be good workers and not chafe at their status:

Were you a slave when you were called? Don’t let it trouble you—although if you can gain your freedom, do so. 22 For the one who was a slave when called to faith in the Lord is the Lord’s freed person;similarly, the one who was free when called is Christ’s slave. (I Corinthians 7:21-22)

If they had an opportunity to gain their freedom, that was great, but if not, they were to submit.
Now, this wasn't a quick fix to the evils of slavery. It didn't result in a revolt, but it did eventually topple slavery. In the meantime, it demonstrated Christlikeness within the existing social structure in a way that led to the spread of the gospel..... we have biblical examples of households where slaves were part of the family of faith, and who knows how many slave owners were won to Christ through the witness of their servants?

But how do we apply this to our culture? How does this fit into our modern way of life? We aren't slaves to our employers (though we may feel like it at times! and we may inject lots of drama!). Is it wrong to stand up for our rights when they are violated by an employer?
I believe that God would have us think carefully about a couple of questions..... First, am I under the authority of the person who is treating me unfairly?
God has ordained various spheres of authority, right? (Heads nodding) He set things up....He is the supreme authority over all, but we've discussed how under God there is the sphere of human government. Also, there is the sphere of family, where husbands and wives and children have different roles. There is the realm of the church, where elders have been given the responsibility for the flock. And there is the sphere of employment (doesn't matter if it's voluntary or involuntary) in which employees are subject to employers.

The second question after that is to examine our own attitudes and motives -- to ask ourselves if we have a proper attitude, or are we selfishly fighting for our rights?  I am going to say that I believe there is a place for respectful and reasoned communication that seeks to clarify truth and show lies for what they are. In other words, I believe that if our attitudes and motives are in submission to God, we do NOT need to be doormats!  There IS a proper place for self-defense and for confronting the errors of those who have mistreated us, as long as we work through proper channels.

Are you relieved? (Grin)
We'll examine this some more tomorrow......