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More Sayings That Make
23Here are some more sayings
that make good sense:
When you judge,
you must be fair.
24If you let the guilty
go free,
people of all nations
will hate and curse you.
25But if you punish the guilty,
things will go well for you,
and you will prosper.
Reflect
Most of us are not in a position of authority like King Solomon, where we sit and judge cases brought before us day by day. However there is plenty in this passage that we can apply to our daily lives. Fairness is important in every situation, but it really takes centre stage when we’re parenting or taking care of children.
They come to you countless times a day with disputes they need help resolving. One won’t share, the other threw a tantrum, and the youngest who always behaves like an angel has started hitting. Your responsibility is to hear all sides of the issue, figure out what actually happened and decide on an appropriate consequence. Whether it’s a five minute time out or “no screens” for the day, you now have to make sure you follow through with the punishment, which is often a feat in itself. Carrying out fairness and resulting consequences can be messy, time-consuming, emotional and downright hard. In fact, turning a blind eye would probably save you a big headache in the moment. But when guilty parties get away with something a seed of resentment can form in those who know the truth. The situation becomes unfair and unjust.
Through fairness we show that truth wins and is always right; that you will be judged according to your actions and good actions are always the best choice. We build integrity and have the chance to learn from our mistakes. We build trust. All of these fruitful results come from taking the time to be thoughtful, to reflect and to bring about justice in a fair way, no matter how small – or large – the situation is.
Respond
Father, thank you for showing us that truth is always right. Please help us search for truth in our lives and to raise our young ones to seek out honesty and righteousness so they may be in good standing with you. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.
Julie Fitz-gerald
Julie Fitz-Gerald is a freelance journalist, writer and editor based in Uxbridge, Ontario. She has a Bachelor of Journalism degree from Ryerson University and writes about diverse topics from faith to food to clean water. As a regular contributor to Faith Today, as well as numerous trade publications, she is inspired by the stories she gets to tell. Julie’s business has grown over the years to include corporate writing and editing services, ghost writing and book editing.