God is Just Not Fair, Finding Hope When Life Doesn’t Make Sense
by Jennifer Rothschild

Jennifer Rothschild tackles the hard questions in her book, God is Just Not Fair, and it’s a beautifully vulnerable and powerful read.  Blind at the age of 15, she’s no stranger to struggles and the need to overcome.  But at age 40, she faced a bout of depression that challenged her faith in a new way.  So she writes about doubting God–His existence, His presence, and His love– from a personal and Scriptural perspective and tells about how God walked her through that season of a new kind of darkness.

The book is divided into six main parts, each covering a different question like: Are you fair, do you err, do you hear prayer, do you care, are you aware, and are you there?  Each section is further divided into short, easy-to-read chapters.

In the tradition of David, Asaph, Job, Habakkuk and others in Scripture, she is willing to be honest about how life is hard sometimes and it’s difficult to have that faith and trust God despite the circumstances.  It’s not easy to cling to the truth of God’s Word.  But the title of the book itself is powerful.  No, God isn’t “fair,” not in the way we usually mean that.  We think that means that God has to treat us all the same.  After all, if God were “Fair,” we’d receive the punishment and judgment we really deserve instead of His amazing grace.  Instead of being “fair,” God is “Just.”  He is right and true and always brings beauty out of the dustiest pile of ashes.

She covered many of the most-beloved and well-worn Biblical accounts in this book, but even the long-term Christians will probably learn something new.  I did!

One of my favorite sections of the book was her story of being the guest speaker at a church that taught that everyone who has faith gets healed, and Christians are all blessed and happy all the time and if they aren’t, something is wrong with them.  She spoke the truth they didn’t want to hear, but that Jesus Himself told us, “In this world, you will have trouble…but take heart, I have overcome the world.”

I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review and the opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”