FAIR. How many times a day do we use this word. I have had it on my mind lately and of course in all FAIRNESS I'm up at 2:30 am heating pad to my back, wondering why everyone else I know is sleeping peaceful and I'm NOT. It's just not FAIR. LOL. I looked up the definition of FAIR and was shocked at how many different meanings they're for one little bitty word. Below is some of the things I found. The first is more what I was thinking of when the word goes through my mind. But to be FAIR I have also included all eleven definition that I found. So lets ponder the word FAIR together. Also, to be FAIR, I threw in the definition for the word FAIRNESS.
Synonym Discussion of FAIR
fair, just, equitable, impartial, unbiased, dispassionate, objective mean free from favor toward either or any side. fair implies a proper balance of conflicting interests . just implies an exact following of a standard of what is right and proper . equitable implies a less rigorous standard than just and usually suggests equal treatment of all concerned. impartial stresses an absence of favor or prejudice . unbiased implies even more strongly an absence of all prejudice . dispassionate suggests freedom from the influence of strong feeling and often implies cool or even cold judgment . objective stresses a tendency to view events or persons as apart from oneself and one's own interest or feelings
Definition of FAIR
1: pleasing to the eye or mind especially because of fresh, charming, or flawless quality
2: superficially pleasing : specious
3a: clean, pure b: clear, legible
4: not stormy or foul : fine
5: ample
6 a: marked by impartiality and honesty : free from self-interest, prejudice, or favoritism b (1): conforming with the established rules : allowed (2): consonant with merit or importance : due c: open to legitimate pursuit, attack, or ridicule
7 a: promising, likely b: favorable to a ship's course
8 archaic: free of obstacles
9: not dark
10 a: sufficient but not ample : adequate
11: being such to the utmost : utter
fairness n.
Synonyms: fair1, just1, equitable, impartial, unprejudiced, unbiased, objective, dispassionate
These adjectives mean free from favoritism, self-interest, or preference in judgment. Fair is the most general: a fair referee; a fair deal.
Just stresses conformity with what is legally or ethically right or proper: "a just and lasting peace" (Abraham Lincoln).
Equitable implies justice dictated by reason, conscience, and a natural sense of what is fair: an equitable distribution of gifts among the children.
Impartial emphasizes lack of favoritism: "the cold neutrality of an impartial judge" (Edmund Burke).
Unprejudiced means without preconceived opinions or judgments: an unprejudiced evaluation of the proposal.
Unbiased implies absence of a preference or partiality: gave an unbiased account of her family problems.
Objective implies detachment that permits impersonal observation and judgment: an objective jury.
Dispassionate means free from or unaffected by strong emotions: a dispassionate reporter. See Also Synonyms at average, beautiful.
I have done a search for the word FAIR or FAIRNESS in the Holy Bible, because that is where we should seek answers for the question that worry our minds. It is the absolute best guide for our lives. This is what I found on the internet.
No fairness in the Bible?
Sacred Scripture offers us little help in making this distinction. “Fairness” does not appear in the Bible. The term “fair” appears many times, though usually without a moral meaning. For the most part, it describes someone or something that is comely, beautiful, well-constructed, or placid. In Job 42:15, we read, “[N]o women so fair as Job’s daughters.” In Song of Songs 6:10, the bride is praised as being “fair as the moon, bright as the sun.” In Numbers 24:5, the author exclaims, “How fair are your tents, O Jacob!” In Acts 27:8, St. Paul arrives at a safe port on the southern coast of Crete that is named Fair Havens.
There is but one exception to the non-moral use of the word “fair.” In both Matthew 15:26 and Mark 7:27, Christ tells the Canaanite woman that “[i]t is not fair to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” The Greek word employed in both these texts is kalóv, which is sometimes translated as “right” rather than “fair.” kalóv is a versatile word and can also describe that which is beautiful, good, or proper. Yet “fair” in these two passages is not distinguishable from “right” or “just.”
Now are you as confused as I am. Well I think it's only FAIR, if you are. I want to talk about FAIRNESS in the context of what we perceive as JUST, EQUAL, the SAME as everyone else.
When I was a child I remember having to share a stick of chewing gum with my sister. Mama never let us have a whole piece, which I never thought was FAIR. And we were always afraid that one of us would get more that the other, that would have been completely UNFAIR. So Mama in her wisdom would give the stick of gum to one of us to break in half, but the other one got to pick the piece they wanted first. So if you were the one breaking the stick of gum you folded is so precise so that is was completely even. That way you knew you were getting your FAIR share. If she had let me break it and then choose of course I would have always gotten the bigger piece, because as you know, I was the oldest and that was only FAIR.....We always had to do this with most everything, cookies, candy, what ever we were both wanting at the same time. Now that I'm older I understand better why we had to share that stick of gum. We were poor and it was a treat, not a necessity. Funny how now I can see it, but that's what you get when you grow and get a little wisdom from life.
When my children were little the FAIR word was used a lot. That's not FAIR. Why are they getting to do this or that activity and we're not. Well most of the time is was because we were just poor, in money. Raising four children on a budget for two didn't seem to FAIR even to me. Or rules, that was one of Joshua's hardest things when he was little. "Mama your just not being FAIR" was one of his favorite phrases growing up. He didn't like the rules. I would say if you don't like the rule work to change it, oh that defiantly was not FAIR. I tried to explain to him that life as we know it is not FAIR, ever, you just have to learn to live with it. We tend to say that something is not FAIR, when its something we want that we probably really don't need or we see someone else have something we desperately want that we can not achieve.
I know this has been a strange topic. But like I said it has really been on my mind. Is it FAIR, that some people prosper and other seem to struggle for every little thing. Is it FAIR for some to be sick and struggling while other never even have a runny nose. Is it FAIR that so many people who would love to be working can't for some reason, health issues, or just the fact that they can't find a job. When things get hard for us we tend to start yelling this is just not FAIR. Why does my life have to be so hard and others just never seem to have problems. Well I have decided that we are very selfish creatures. I want every thing you have, plus more, then I will think I've been treated FAIRLY. LOL. This is not God's way or plan. God is JUST. But we need to look at it spiritually not physically. He gives me everything I need when I need it and how it is best for me. God doesn't measure FAIR, the way we do. FAIR is being given the opportunity to have Jesus as our personal Saviour. It is freely given, yes I said FREELY, to ever human being. How much more FAIR can you get. I am reminded of a song I want to share:
Farther Along
attr. to W. B. Stevens
alt. by Barney E. Warren, pub.1911
Tempted and tried, we’re oft made to wonder
Why it should be thus all the day long;
While there are others living about us,
Never molested, though in the wrong.
Refrain:
Farther along we’ll know more about it,
Farther along we’ll understand why;
Cheer up, my brother, live in the sunshine,
We’ll understand it all by and by.
Sometimes I wonder why I must suffer,
Go in the rain, the cold, and the snow,
When there are many living in comfort,
Giving no heed to all I can do.
Tempted and tried, how often we question
Why we must suffer year after year,
Being accused by those of our loved ones,
E’en though we’ve walked in God’s holy fear.
Often when death has taken our loved ones,
Leaving our home so lone and so drear,
Then do we wonder why others prosper,
Living so wicked year after year.
“Faithful till death,” saith our loving Master;
Short is our time to labor and wait;
Then will our toiling seem to be nothing,
When we shall pass the heavenly gate.
Soon we will see our dear, loving Savior,
Hear the last trumpet sound through the sky;
Then we will meet those gone on before us,
Then we shall know and understand why.
So when we are yelling that's not FAIR, maybe the more correct thing to say would be WHY. And we all know only God knows our WHY. We are just sinners saved by Grace, and that carnal man will ask that question often. We want to see JUST, in a fallen creation. We will never get it here on earth, in this earthly body. But one day when we go home to be with Jesus, he will explain the Why of everything, and everything will be FAIR. But I think I will be too busy praising God, the Father, and Jesus the Son that it really want matter any more. And in Heaven I want be worrying about who got the largest half of that piece of gum. Because it just want matter. It's hard to wrap our head around this because we are still in our human body. But what a joyous thought, the complete and utter FAIRNESS, that we can all go to heaven, and all you have to do is ask. WOW now that is FAIR.
Synonym Discussion of FAIR
fair, just, equitable, impartial, unbiased, dispassionate, objective mean free from favor toward either or any side. fair implies a proper balance of conflicting interests . just implies an exact following of a standard of what is right and proper . equitable implies a less rigorous standard than just and usually suggests equal treatment of all concerned
Definition of FAIR
1: pleasing to the eye or mind especially because of fresh, charming, or flawless quality
2: superficially pleasing : specious
3a: clean, pure
4: not stormy or foul : fine
5: ample
6 a: marked by impartiality and honesty : free from self-interest, prejudice, or favoritism b (1): conforming with the established rules : allowed (2): consonant with merit or importance : due c: open to legitimate pursuit, attack, or ridicule
7 a: promising, likely
8 archaic: free of obstacles
9: not dark
10 a: sufficient but not ample : adequate
11: being such to the utmost : utter
fairness n.
Synonyms: fair1, just1, equitable, impartial, unprejudiced, unbiased, objective, dispassionate
These adjectives mean free from favoritism, self-interest, or preference in judgment. Fair is the most general: a fair referee; a fair deal.
Just stresses conformity with what is legally or ethically right or proper: "a just and lasting peace" (Abraham Lincoln).
Equitable implies justice dictated by reason, conscience, and a natural sense of what is fair: an equitable distribution of gifts among the children.
Impartial emphasizes lack of favoritism: "the cold neutrality of an impartial judge" (Edmund Burke).
Unprejudiced means without preconceived opinions or judgments: an unprejudiced evaluation of the proposal.
Unbiased implies absence of a preference or partiality: gave an unbiased account of her family problems.
Objective implies detachment that permits impersonal observation and judgment: an objective jury.
Dispassionate means free from or unaffected by strong emotions: a dispassionate reporter. See Also Synonyms at average, beautiful.
I have done a search for the word FAIR or FAIRNESS in the Holy Bible, because that is where we should seek answers for the question that worry our minds. It is the absolute best guide for our lives. This is what I found on the internet.
No fairness in the Bible?
Sacred Scripture offers us little help in making this distinction. “Fairness” does not appear in the Bible. The term “fair” appears many times, though usually without a moral meaning. For the most part, it describes someone or something that is comely, beautiful, well-constructed, or placid. In Job 42:15, we read, “[N]o women so fair as Job’s daughters.” In Song of Songs 6:10, the bride is praised as being “fair as the moon, bright as the sun.” In Numbers 24:5, the author exclaims, “How fair are your tents, O Jacob!” In Acts 27:8, St. Paul arrives at a safe port on the southern coast of Crete that is named Fair Havens.
There is but one exception to the non-moral use of the word “fair.” In both Matthew 15:26 and Mark 7:27, Christ tells the Canaanite woman that “[i]t is not fair to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” The Greek word employed in both these texts is kalóv, which is sometimes translated as “right” rather than “fair.” kalóv is a versatile word and can also describe that which is beautiful, good, or proper. Yet “fair” in these two passages is not distinguishable from “right” or “just.”
Now are you as confused as I am. Well I think it's only FAIR, if you are. I want to talk about FAIRNESS in the context of what we perceive as JUST, EQUAL, the SAME as everyone else.
When I was a child I remember having to share a stick of chewing gum with my sister. Mama never let us have a whole piece, which I never thought was FAIR. And we were always afraid that one of us would get more that the other, that would have been completely UNFAIR. So Mama in her wisdom would give the stick of gum to one of us to break in half, but the other one got to pick the piece they wanted first. So if you were the one breaking the stick of gum you folded is so precise so that is was completely even. That way you knew you were getting your FAIR share. If she had let me break it and then choose of course I would have always gotten the bigger piece, because as you know, I was the oldest and that was only FAIR.....We always had to do this with most everything, cookies, candy, what ever we were both wanting at the same time. Now that I'm older I understand better why we had to share that stick of gum. We were poor and it was a treat, not a necessity. Funny how now I can see it, but that's what you get when you grow and get a little wisdom from life.
When my children were little the FAIR word was used a lot. That's not FAIR. Why are they getting to do this or that activity and we're not. Well most of the time is was because we were just poor, in money. Raising four children on a budget for two didn't seem to FAIR even to me. Or rules, that was one of Joshua's hardest things when he was little. "Mama your just not being FAIR" was one of his favorite phrases growing up. He didn't like the rules. I would say if you don't like the rule work to change it, oh that defiantly was not FAIR. I tried to explain to him that life as we know it is not FAIR, ever, you just have to learn to live with it. We tend to say that something is not FAIR, when its something we want that we probably really don't need or we see someone else have something we desperately want that we can not achieve.
I know this has been a strange topic. But like I said it has really been on my mind. Is it FAIR, that some people prosper and other seem to struggle for every little thing. Is it FAIR for some to be sick and struggling while other never even have a runny nose. Is it FAIR that so many people who would love to be working can't for some reason, health issues, or just the fact that they can't find a job. When things get hard for us we tend to start yelling this is just not FAIR. Why does my life have to be so hard and others just never seem to have problems. Well I have decided that we are very selfish creatures. I want every thing you have, plus more, then I will think I've been treated FAIRLY. LOL. This is not God's way or plan. God is JUST. But we need to look at it spiritually not physically. He gives me everything I need when I need it and how it is best for me. God doesn't measure FAIR, the way we do. FAIR is being given the opportunity to have Jesus as our personal Saviour. It is freely given, yes I said FREELY, to ever human being. How much more FAIR can you get. I am reminded of a song I want to share:
Farther Along
attr. to W. B. Stevens
alt. by Barney E. Warren, pub.1911
Tempted and tried, we’re oft made to wonder
Why it should be thus all the day long;
While there are others living about us,
Never molested, though in the wrong.
Refrain:
Farther along we’ll know more about it,
Farther along we’ll understand why;
Cheer up, my brother, live in the sunshine,
We’ll understand it all by and by.
Sometimes I wonder why I must suffer,
Go in the rain, the cold, and the snow,
When there are many living in comfort,
Giving no heed to all I can do.
Tempted and tried, how often we question
Why we must suffer year after year,
Being accused by those of our loved ones,
E’en though we’ve walked in God’s holy fear.
Often when death has taken our loved ones,
Leaving our home so lone and so drear,
Then do we wonder why others prosper,
Living so wicked year after year.
“Faithful till death,” saith our loving Master;
Short is our time to labor and wait;
Then will our toiling seem to be nothing,
When we shall pass the heavenly gate.
Soon we will see our dear, loving Savior,
Hear the last trumpet sound through the sky;
Then we will meet those gone on before us,
Then we shall know and understand why.
So when we are yelling that's not FAIR, maybe the more correct thing to say would be WHY. And we all know only God knows our WHY. We are just sinners saved by Grace, and that carnal man will ask that question often. We want to see JUST, in a fallen creation. We will never get it here on earth, in this earthly body. But one day when we go home to be with Jesus, he will explain the Why of everything, and everything will be FAIR. But I think I will be too busy praising God, the Father, and Jesus the Son that it really want matter any more. And in Heaven I want be worrying about who got the largest half of that piece of gum. Because it just want matter. It's hard to wrap our head around this because we are still in our human body. But what a joyous thought, the complete and utter FAIRNESS, that we can all go to heaven, and all you have to do is ask. WOW now that is FAIR.
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