Necessary Injustice?

I've been reading... actually, make that savoring... Jerry Sittser's book, A Grace Disguised. It's a deeply personal account of Sittser's discovery of God's presence and blessing in the aftermath of catastrophic loss. Without a doubt, this is the best book on the subject of grief and soul restoration I've ever encountered, and I've been deeply blessed by the author's transparency and wisdom.

In chapter 9, Sittser explores the idea that the injustice of the world is a necessary component for the existence of grace. It's an interesting thought. If the world was fair -- if everyone received exactly what they deserved because of their choices -- then every criminal would be found guilty. Every heroic deed would be rewarded and every sin would be punished. Yet in such a world I would never experience mercy or unexpected kindness. I would never be shown a kindness that I didn't earn for myself. I would never discover grace -- that outrageous overflowing of God's favor simply because it brings him delight, not because I deserve it.

Sittser concludes, "I would prefer to take my chances living in a universe in which I get what I do not deserve -- again, either way. That means that I will suffer loss, as I already have, but it also means I will receive mercy. Life will end up being far worse than it would have otherwise been; it will also end up being far better. I will have to endure the bad I do not deserve; I will also get the good I do not deserve. I dread experiencing undeserved pain, but it is worth it to me if I can also experience undeserved grace."

So even though I might hunger for justice -- a God-given trait that accurately reflectes the image of a just God in my creation -- I hunger for grace in this world even more. That may not offer comfort in the moment of catastrophic loss, but it does provide perspective on why living with injustice in this world is actually necessary.

Sittser offers this powerful testimony of his own experience of comfort in the discovery of grace: "If I have learned anything over the past three years, it is that I desperately need and desire the grace of God. Grace has come to me in ways I did not expect. Friends have remained loyal and supportive, in spite of my struggles. Quietness, contentment, and simplicity have gradually found a place in the center of my soul, though I have never been busier. I go to bed at night grateful for the events of the day, which I try to review and reflect on until I fall asleep, and I wake up in the morning eager to begin a new day. My life is rich and productive, like Iowa farmland in late summer."