One of the peculiar glories of God’s dealings with man is how lopsided it is. Balance does not seem to be His chiefest joy. He has saddled one side of the ship with more cargo than the other. He gives to one a portion and to another a double portion. This inequality of distribution gives man the opportunity to recall that life is a gift, not a paycheck. The man who boasts that he is more eloquent than his neighbor should ask himself how much his own tongue cost when he purchased it. The man disgruntled about the superior intellect of his friend should be asked if he bought his own at the discount store.

The only way to turn off the egalitarian fuss-spigot is with the question, “What do you have that you did not receive?” (1 Corinthians 4:7). Granted, you do not live in a level world, but that is because mercy outweighs judgment (James 2:13). The man who worships symmetry will never be satisfied with the asymmetry of grace. But the Christian saint knows mercy is cockeyed. He knows generosity triumphs over equality.