logo
Login Subscribe
Google Play App Store
  • News
    • Obituaries
    • Lifestyle
    • Opinion
  • Sports
  • E-edition
  • Calendar
  • Archives
  • Contact
    • Contact Us
    • Advertisers
    • Form Submission
    • About Us
    • News
      • Obituaries
      • Lifestyle
      • Opinion
    • Sports
    • E-edition
    • Calendar
    • Archives
    • Contact
      • Contact Us
      • Advertisers
      • Form Submission
      • About Us
Life is not fair
commentary
January 25, 2024
Life is not fair
By if JtdVonnCh J\ÍimI£A,

¿LGsUOnrUbò’

LAST ¥0 W

Life is not fair. That is for certain for everyone and everything at some point.

Life isn’t fair because we live in a complex and chaotic world that most of the time is unpredictable. With this randomness of our complex system there is one guarantee that at some point in your life you will feel like life isn’t fair and you would be correct. Even though there are many things we can do to stack the odds in our favor, at the end of the day the amount of control we have over outcomes in this life is limited.

This reminds me of the Sermon on the Mound in Matthew 5:45, when Jesus says this about God the Father, “He makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.” This shows me that regardless of a person’s disposition toward God, God gives sunshine and rain to us all in equal portions. He makes no distinction between the evil and the righteous in this instance. He simply gives equally to us all. To some this may not seem fair but it is a fact.

Growing up I was never thrilled about the rain. Maybe this stemmed back to a time when I was only six years old and we were staying with my grandparents while we built our home in the Pierce area. My brothers and I had to ride the school bus from Tiger Mountain to Checotah schools every day. We had to get up early and we got home late because we were literally the first stop in the morning and last stop in the evening at the foot of the mountain.

Clyde Lee was our bus driver then and he didn’t ever go up the winding little road to my grandparent’s home because it was so narrow. So on fair and sunny days we would walk the half mile to the stop, but on rainy days my parents or grandparents would drive us there and wait for the bus or be there to pick us up.

However, on this one particular day when it was raining cats and dogs, for some reason no one was there to pick us up at the end of the route. Clyde waited for several minutes but still no one came. That’s when he decided that he couldn’t just put us out in the pouring rain to walk home so he barreled that big old’ bus through that narrow, winding road nearly getting stuck several times as we held on for dear life. When he came to our gate he couldn’t go any farther so he reluctantly let us out and told us to run home which my brothers did.

Unfortunately, I tried to run but because our country roads were nothing but muck and mire I stepped down into a big puddle and my feet sunk into the mud. The more I tried to wiggle my feet free, the deeper I went down. May I remind you that it’s still pouring rain and my brothers are nowhere in sight because at the gate you still had to go up and over the hill to get to my grandparent’s home. Yes, it was truly like the song “Over the river and through the woods to grandmother’s house we go…”

Anyways, I am standing there up to my knees in water, bawling my eyes out when my grandma and brothers come back looking for me. Grandma Eloise gets to the edge of the huge puddle and tells me to come on as she stretches out her arms to reach for me. I’m still crying and trying to tell her I can’t – I’m stuck! As my brothers are laughing at the situation, my poor grandma climbs into the puddle with me and literally pulls me out of my shoes to get me free. If I remember right we left the shoes. Needless to say I got a hot bath when we got home and my brothers got busted for leaving their little sister behind in the pouring rain. So now I guess that’s why I’m typically not a fan of rainy days unless I’m staying in.

I said all that to say this, sometimes life is not fair. Sometimes problems pour upon our heads and we literally get stuck in the muck and the mire. Sometimes bad things happen to good people like my sweet friend’s daughter who lost her life this past week and my other two friends who lost their spouses to cancer this week and last. We cannot begin to understand the why? We cannot predict when it will rain. We only know for certain that it rains on us all at some point in our lives.

Perhaps we look at the rain wrong. Instead of looking at it as the hard times, maybe we should recognize it as the complex times – the times when there’s something to learn from the rain. That each day we have is a gift. That the rain may be harsh at times but it also washes the soul and replenishes the soil so everything keeps growing.

It is true; life is not fair at times, but there are sunny days ahead. There is also more rain to come and hopefully we will endure it and keep growing in His grace and love. During this rainy season in your lives, my friends, my prayers are with you all.

Seminole survives Checotah 34-27
B:, Sports...
Seminole survives Checotah 34-27
By Rodney Haltom sports EDITOR 
September 11, 2025
The Seminole Chieftains were lucky to go home with a 34-27 win over the Checotah Wildcats Friday night. Checotah’s penalties that accumulated to over 100 yards. The Wildcats moved the football up and ...
this is a test
D is for Duvall
A: Main, News...
D is for Duvall
By LADONNA RHODES STAFF WRITER 
September 11, 2025
When your last name is Duvall then you more than likely wear a cowboy hat, ride a horse and have sat in many rodeo arenas over several decades. So when word got out that the Jim Norick Arena was being...
this is a test
A: Main, News...
9/11 – Never Forget
By JERRY FINK MANAGING EDITOR 
September 11, 2025
At about 7 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2001, I strolled into the Las Vegas Sun newsroom where I worked as an entertainment reporter. The room was quiet, a palpable feeling of dread filled the air as the f...
this is a test
Checotah FFA earns historic award
A: Main, News...
Checotah FFA earns historic award
September 11, 2025
The Checotah FFA Chapter has been recently recognized in the 2025 National Chapter Award Program from the National FFA Organization. “We are so excited that the Checotah FFA was given a National 3-sta...
this is a test
A: Main, News...
Chief issues executive order to implement Treaty of 1866 Freedmen ruling
By PATRICK FORD SPECIAL REPORT 
September 11, 2025
Muscogee Nation Principal Chief David Hill has issued Executive Order No. 25-05, outlining the Nation’s plan to comply with a landmark Supreme Court decision requiring the incorporation of the Treaty ...
this is a test
Meeting of History & Artifact Enthusiasts
A: Main, News...
Meeting of History & Artifact Enthusiasts
September 11, 2025
Heartland Heritage Museum and Art Gallery 114 N. Broadway Checotah, Oklahoma Saturday, September 13 at 1 p.m. Don’t forget to join us for an afternoon of discovery and connection with others who share...
this is a test
ePaper
coogle_play
app_store
Editor Picks
A site out of this world
A: Main, News...
A site out of this world
By MIKE BARNES 
September 11, 2025
In Eufaula, a town where gossip can outpace the mail, a story is slowly gaining momentum. It isn’t about the latest fishing tournament or Friday night football, but about a cosmic visitor called 3I/AT...
this is a test
Checotah FFA Cattle Grading Contest huge success
News
Checotah FFA Cattle Grading Contest huge success
September 11, 2025
Over 900 students from across the state came to compete in the first annual Checotah FFA Cattle Grading Contest. “We couldn’t believe how many participants came for our first event,” Zachary Ilbery sa...
this is a test
Mild weather, just what the festival ordered
News
Mild weather, just what the festival ordered
By JERRY FINK MANAGING EDITOR 
September 11, 2025
Mayor James Hickman perhaps summarized best when he sent a letter of appreciation to Karen Weldin and the Vision Eufaula Board of Directors for one of the best Wine & Art Festivals held in the city. “...
this is a test
News
Lake Eufaula Out of Darkness Walk
September 11, 2025
Saturday, Sept. 20 On-site registration begins at 5 p.m. Out of Darkness Walk begins at 6 p.m. At Eufaula Cove Pavilion Special speaker, live music, resources Everyone welcomed to walk!
this is a test
News
LEA 2025 Golf Tournament Sept. 26
September 11, 2025
The 2025 Lake Eufaula Association Golf Tournament will be held Friday Sept. 26 at Arrowhead Golf Course, 3657 Main Park Rd. , Canadian. Registration is at 8 a.m., shotgun start is at 9 a.m. and lunch ...
this is a test
Facebook
Twitter
Tweets
Twitter
Tweets

MCINTOSH COUNTY DEMOCRAT
300-A S. Broadway
Checotah, OK
74426

(918) 473-2313

This site complies with ADA requirements

© 2023 Mcintosh Democrat

  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Accessibility Policy