Unfair Punishment?

There were many times as a child that I felt as if some punishments were unfair. There were many instances where I've seen a group of kids find a way to get themselves in trouble while only a few (or maybe even one) pay the consequences for everyone's actions. 

Looking at this from a young adult perspective, I know that there have been plenty of instances when I have personally seen people that do not necessarily seem to live a life that is pleasing to God. It also seemed to me that these people seemed to live lives that seemed almost too good to be true. Every single thing seems to be going for them in life... While they're enjoying life, here I am. As a Christian, I'm going through so many trials and tribulations that are beginning to really take a toll on me. From there, I begin to wonder a question that I've wanted to ask so many times: Why God? Why does this life seem so unfair? Here I am struggling to follow Your word, to live a life pleasing to You, to continuously look to You for guidance, to spread Your name, and to be the best person that I can be while other people who aren't doing this seem to be living better lives...

Ultimately, to me, it seemed unfair. Finally, I realized something. Everyone does not receive the same punishment for their actions. Different punishments work better for different people. Even though at the moment, it may not seem as if every person in that group (or even the world) is not receiving a punishment for their actions, it will happen as some point in their lives and it will happen in different ways.

You may remember the oh-so-famous story from Genesis about Adam, Eve, and the serpent? Well, in a nutshell, God instructed them not to eat of the tree of knowledge. A serpent came along and enticed Eve into eating of the forbidden fruit. After eating it, she brought some forbidden fruit to Adam and he ate of it as well. Not only did God punish the serpent, but he also punished the Eve and Adam as well.

Serpent: "And the Lord God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life" -Genesis 2:14
Eve: "Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring fort children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over them." -Genesis 3:16
Adam: "And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and eaten of the tree, which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field" -Genesis 3:17-18

Therefore, we all will get penalized for our actions. It doesn't matter if you are the one who entices or the one who is enticed. Ultimately, the serpent, Adam, and Eve are penalized. Keep this in mind as you continue to walk through your Christian journey. Even if it doesn't seem like or isn't as visible, everyone will be penalized for their actions.