Life Isn't Fair

 We often complain that "life isn't fair."  It's true.  Life isn't fair.  I came home today with a deep sense of gratefulness that life isn't fair.  For some reason about 16 years ago God blessed me with 5 wonderful girlfriends that changed my life forever.  It was with this group that I learned what it means to pray and expect answers.  Through the ups and downs of youth group days, we bonded and encouraged each other on.  We challenged each other to stand for right, to fast and pray, and to trust God with our futures.  Each time we prayed, we checked off the requests that had been answered and our faith grew.  Oh, we had our share of disappoints and misunderstandings.  At the end of the drama, the reason for our friendship was still there.  I wish this blessing would happen to every teenager.  But it doesn't.
Today we were together again.  It doesn't happen very often.  As always there was plenty of laughter and quite a few tears.  Life hasn't always turned out the way we would have chosen.  As we ended our time together praying for a few of the more painful situations at hand, I was blessed.  Of course no one chooses hardship and pain and I would never wish it on my friends.  Still I am blessed to see the grace that God has given in the times of heartache.  I'm blessed to hear words of trust in a God that doesn't always fix problems in the way we ask.
Sometimes we pray and God give us the miracle we ask for.  I know it happens because I've seen it.  Other times I think the miracle happens in us as God walks with us through the valley and out the other side. Today I saw a maturity that is far beyond what was there 10 years ago.  So today I am thankful that life isn't fair.  And I'm still smiling because after all these maturing years, we still burst out laughing in the middle of our prayer times.  I'm grateful for that, too.