Life is Not Fair!

Sep 042012

“Life is not fair,” is a statement, or more so a feeling, we are all faced with from time to time throughout our lives. This feeling threatens to dampen our spirits and darken our days, but we do not have to allow it to overcome. More importantly, when our children feel the pain of injustice in their lives, we need the wisdom to help them walk through the experience, perhaps not unscathed, but a little more mature, and much more prepared for life.

In her article, “Life is Not Fair,” Mary Fam shares from her heart how the infinite power of faith has helped her overcome the “Life is not fair blues.” ~Denise Mistich

Life is Not Fair!

Teaching your child the value of Perseverance and Faith.

By Mary Fam

As humans we have all experienced life’s tribulations, and for some of us there have been many. As parents, when we see our children face adversities, it can be painful but also a great opportunity to teach them the values of Perseverance and Faith. One of my mother’s favourite phrases is, “God never gives us more than we can bear”, words I have heard a million times, as I have faced some of life’s toughest trials. More inspiring, is that my mother has faced life’s most unforgiving trials, yet her unwavering faith and incredible perseverance are a testimony to and a good teaching tool on how powerful these values can be in maintaining strength.

Perseverance

A broken heart, failed test, or missed opportunity, when our children face life’s adversities it is often a time where their emotions can dominate their logic and leave them feeling upset, inadequate, and even hopeless. It is during these times that we, as parents, need to help pick them back up and dust them off with words of encouragement and examples from our own lives. With my own children, as they are still quite young, I try to maintain a brave front for them and provide a constant reminder that when life knocks us down, the only option is to “get back up”. The “getting back up” part, I must admit is not always easy, and over the course of my life, it has been quite difficult at times. Importance of doing so is a vital experience that I can use to I inspire my children-and so can you! All lives are purposeful, and when that is realized, it is powerful. For our children, helping them realize purpose in their own lives is one of the best thing we can do to encourage perseverance in them. While perseverance, is a powerful tool in itself, pair with Faith it becomes a golden shield that conquers all.

Faith

One topic that has received a monumental amount of criticism, debate, and just plain old DOUBT, is Faith! The concept of Faith has been explain a million different ways, but one of the most powerful still remains as,

“Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. “I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours”. (Mark 11:22-24)

Faith has to be one of the most difficult concepts to understand, let alone explain to children, but it is possible. I strongly believe that we go through the trials of life so that we can become stronger individuals, mind, body, and SOUL. It is in those triumphs that we also become more faithful, and learn that when bad things do happen, there is always “a light at the end of the tunnel” even if at times we cannot see it. It is in this that we must teach our children that while trials in life may dismay them, it is Faith that will comfort and strengthen them. Faith is something that takes a lifetime to build and strengthen to unwavering status, but it is in that development that we as individuals learn so much about how amazing we can be. We must constantly remind our children that they are beautiful, and uniquely special and that life is just a journey that helps them realize their ALL. If they have faith, than they have the key to unlocking all their magnificence.

As a final word, let’s teach our children that when they fall, perseverance is what picks them back up, and Faith is what gives them strength to carry on.