In 1994, a genocide took place
in the east African country of Rwanda that was partly due to deep-seated tribal tensions. Estimates are that more than
half a million people were killed. Remarkably, the Rwandan people
have in large part reconciled, but these events
continue to reverberate. A decade ago, while
visiting Rwanda, my wife and I struck up a
conversation with another passenger at the Kigali airport. He lamented the unfairness of
the genocide and poignantly asked, "If there were
a God, wouldn't He have done something about it?" For this man--and for many
of us--suffering and brutal unfairness can seem incompatible
with the reality of a kind, loving Heavenly Father. Yet He is real, He is kind, and
He loves each of His children perfectly. This dichotomy is as old as
mankind and cannot be explained in a simple sound bite
or on a bumper sticker. To begin to make
some sense of it, let us explore various
types of unfairness. Consider a family in
which each child received a weekly monetary allowance for
doing common household chores. One son, John, purchased
candy; one daughter, Anna, saved her money. Eventually, Anna bought
herself a bicycle. John thought it
was totally unfair that Anna got a bike when he didn't. But John's choices created
the inequality, not parental actions. Anna's decision to forgo
the immediate gratification of eating candy didn't
impose any unfairness on John because he had the same
opportunity as his sister. Our decisions can likewise
yield long-term advantages or disadvantages. As the Lord revealed,
"If a person gains more knowledge and
intelligence in this life through his diligence and
obedience than another, he will have so much the
advantage in the world to come." When others receive benefits
because of their diligent choices, we cannot rightly conclude that we have been
treated unfairly when we have had the same opportunity. Another example of
unfairness stems from a situation my wife,
Ruth, encountered as a child. One day, Ruth learned
that her mother was taking a younger sister,
Merla, to buy new shoes. Ruth complained,
"Mom, it's so unfair! Merla got the last
new pair of shoes." Ruth's mother asked,
"Ruth, do your shoes fit?" Ruth replied, "Well, yes." Ruth's mother then said,
"Merla's shoes no longer fit." Ruth agreed that every child
in the family should have shoes that fit. Although Ruth would have liked
new shoes, her perception of being treated unfairly dissipated when she
saw the circumstances through her mother's eyes. Some unfairness
cannot be explained; inexplicable unfairness
is infuriating. Unfairness comes from living
with bodies that are imperfect, injured, or diseased. Mortal life is
inherently unfair. Some people are born in
affluence; others are not. Some have loving
parents; others do not. Some live many
years, others few. And on and on and on. Some individuals make
injurious mistakes even when they are trying to do good. Some choose not to alleviate
unfairness when they could. Distressingly, some individuals
use their God-given agency to hurt others when
they never should. Different types
of unfairness can merge, creating a tsunami
of overwhelming unfairness. For instance, the COVID-19
pandemic disproportionately affects those who already are
subject to multifactorial, underlying disadvantages. My heart aches for those
who face such unfairness, but I declare with
all my aching heart that Jesus Christ both
understands unfairness and has the power to provide a remedy. Nothing compares to the
unfairness He endured. It wasn't fair that He
experienced all the pains and afflictions of mankind. It wasn't fair that He suffered
for my sins and mistakes and for yours. But He chose to do so
because of His love for us and for Heavenly Father. He understands perfectly
what we are experiencing. Scripture records that ancient
Israelites complained that God was treating them unfairly. In response, Jehovah
asked, "For can a woman forget her sucking child, that
she should not have compassion on the son of her womb?" As unlikely as it is that a
loving mother would forget her infant child, Jehovah
declared that His devotion was even more steadfast. He affirmed, "Yea,
they may forget, yet will I not forget thee. ... Behold, I have graven thee
upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are
continually before me." Because Jesus Christ endured
the infinite, atoning sacrifice, He empathizes perfectly with us. He is always aware of us
and our circumstances. In mortality, we can "come
boldly" to the Savior and receive compassion,
healing, and help. Even while we
suffer inexplicably, God can bless us in simple,
ordinary, and significant ways. As we learn to recognize these
blessings, our trust in God will increase. In the eternities, Heavenly
Father and Jesus Christ will resolve all unfairness. We understandably want
to know how and when. How are They going to do that? When are They going to do it? To my knowledge, They
haven't revealed how or when. What I do know is
that They will. In unfair situations,
one of our tasks is to trust that "all
that is unfair about life can be made right through the
Atonement of Jesus Christ." Jesus Christ overcame the world
and "absorbed" all unfairness. Because of Him, we can
have peace in this world and be of good cheer. If we let Him, Jesus Christ
will consecrate the unfairness for our gain. He will not just console us
and restore what was lost; He will use the unfairness
for our benefit. When it comes to
how and when, we need to recognize and accept,
as did Alma, "it mattereth not; for God knoweth
all these things; and it sufficeth me to know
that this is the case." We can try to hold our questions
about how and when for later and focus on developing faith in
Jesus Christ--that He has both the power to make everything
right and yearns to do so. For us to insist on
knowing how or when is unproductive and,
after all, myopic. As we develop faith
in Jesus Christ, we should also strive
to become like Him. We then approach
others with compassion and try to alleviate
unfairness where we find it; we can try to make things right
within our sphere of influence. Indeed, the Savior directed that
we "should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and
do many things of [our] own free will, [to] bring
to pass much righteousness." Someone who has been anxiously
engaged in combating unfairness is attorney Bryan Stevenson. His legal practice
in the United States is dedicated to defending
the wrongly accused, ending excessive punishment, and
protecting basic human rights. Some years ago, Mr.
Stevenson defended a man who had been falsely
accused of murder and was condemned to die. Mr. Stevenson asked the
man's local Christian church for support, even though the
man was not active in his church and was disparaged in the
community due to a widely known extramarital affair. To focus the congregation
on what really mattered, Mr. Stevenson spoke to
them about the woman accused of adultery who
was brought to Jesus. The accusers wanted to stone
her to death, but Jesus said, "He that is without sin ...
, let him first cast a stone at her." The woman's accusers withdrew. Jesus did not condemn the woman
but charged her to sin no more. After recounting this
episode, Mr. Stevenson observed that
self-righteousness, fear, and anger have caused even
Christians to hurl stones at people who stumble. He then said, "We can't
simply watch that happen," and he encouraged
the congregants to become "stone catchers." Brothers and sisters,
not throwing stones is the first step in treating
others with compassion. The second step is to try to
catch stones thrown by others. How we deal with advantages and disadvantages is
part of life's test. We will be judged
not so much by what we say but by how we treat the
vulnerable and disadvantaged. As Latter-day Saints, we seek
to follow the Savior's example, to go about doing good. We demonstrate our
love for our neighbor by working to ensure the
dignity of all Heavenly Father's children. With our own advantages
and disadvantages in mind, reflection is healthy. For John to understand why Anna
got the bike was revealing. For Ruth to view Merla's need
for shoes through her mother's eyes was enlightening. To try to see things with
an eternal perspective can be clarifying. As we become more
like the Savior, we develop more empathy,
understanding, and charity. I return to the question
posed by our fellow passenger in Kigali, when he lamented
the unfairness of the Rwandan genocide and asked,
"If there were a God, wouldn't He have done
something about it?" Without minimizing the
suffering caused by the genocide and after acknowledging
our inability to comprehend such
suffering, we replied that Jesus Christ
has done something about infuriating unfairness. We explained many
gospel precepts concerning Jesus Christ and
the Restoration of His Church. Afterwards, our acquaintance
asked, with tears in his eyes, "You mean there is something
I can do for my dead parents and uncle?" We said, "Oh, yes!" We then testified that all
that's unfair about life can be made right through
the Atonement of Jesus Christ and that by His
authority, families can be joined together forever. When faced with unfairness,
we can push ourselves away from God or we can
be drawn toward Him for help and support. For example, the
prolonged warfare between the Nephites
and the Lamanites affected people differently. Mormon observed that
"many had become hardened" while others
"were softened because of their afflictions,
insomuch that they did humble themselves before God." Don't let unfairness harden you
or corrode your faith in God. Instead, ask God for help. Increase your appreciation for
and reliance on the Savior. Rather than becoming bitter,
let Him help you become better. Allow Him to help
you persevere, to let your afflictions be "swallowed
up in the joy of Christ." Join Him in His mission to
"heal the brokenhearted"; strive to mitigate unfairness,
and become a stone catcher. I testify that the Savior lives. He understands unfairness. The marks in the
palms of His hands continually remind Him of
you and your circumstances. He ministers to you in all your distress. For those who come to
Him, a crown of beauty will replace the
ashes of mourning; joy and gladness will
replace grief and sorrow; appreciation and
celebration will replace discouragement and despair. Your faith in Heavenly Father
and Jesus Christ will be rewarded more than
you can imagine. All unfairness--especially
infuriating unfairness--will be consecrated for your gain. I so testify in the name
of Jesus Christ, amen.
