When Life's Not Fair

"Now Naaman was commander of the army of the king of Aram. He was a great man in the sight of his master and highly regarded, because through him the Lord had given victory to Aram. He was a valiant soldier, but he had leprosy. Now bands of raiders from Aram had gone out and had taken captive a young girl from Israel, and she served Naaman’s wife. She said to her mistress, “If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.”

2 Kings 5:1-3

Wow.

Naaman’s the star of this story, but what about the servant girl?

She grew as a chosen child of God, part of the Israelite people. Life went from a place of honor to a place of servitude in a terrifying instant when she was abducted and taken by her captors to Aram, landing in a well-respected home of that country....to work for no pay. 

Life wasn't fair to this chosen child of God.

The idea of captivity and modern-day slavery makes my stomach churn. No part of slavery fits into our western idea of justice. We live for moments, days, weekends, and lives of freedom and "me time." 

If I were taken captive as a slave in a foreign land, I may very well shut down, take the punishment, and hope for death.

But not this girl.

She recognized Naaman's illness and spoke up. 

Now, given this situation, I would probably speak up too. Something like, "Serves you right!" And with a heart full of vengeance and a longing for home, I may watch the man waste away miserably with a hope that he might dismiss me, the bad omen. That would seem fairer.

On the contrary, this girl wasn't thinking of social justice, she was thinking of blessing the enemy even when she'd been treated unfairly.

She knew God's power. She remembered a prophet capable of benefiting her captor.  And then she took action.

She spoke. She didn't heal the man. She wasn't even there when his spots disappeared, but if it weren't for her, Naaman would never have known of the God of Israel and never experienced the power of healing.

What about me?

When life treats me unfairly, do I carry remnants of faith and grace for ministry? Even for my enemies? Do I have the boldness to point the way to healing and power?

I long for the power of God to be revealed in my world and ministry. I want to be a servant, pointing the way to healing in Christ. Choosing to step out in faith with grace when life doesn't seem fair is a giant step toward a life of power and ministry.

Lord, give me grace to extend to my enemies or plain just point the way for others straight to You. I pray for opportunities and awareness to see your power revealed on Earth for Your glory and fame. I pray for opportunities to show others where they can find healing. Make me a girl who blesses, that the whole world will see You in glimmers and sparks of blessings being passed on and pointing the way to You. Amen.