Why Do the 'Bad Guys' Always Seem to Win?
Finding peace when life feels unfair and the "messy middle" feels endless.
I was thinking the other day about the sheer unfairness of it all. You see it everywhere, don’t you? There is always someone claiming every benefit under the sun, living in a brand-new house, even though you know for a fact they’re working cash-in-hand and gaming the system.
Or that person at work who is always ‘off sick’ with a mystery ailment, yet they’re the one landing the pay rise and the promotion because they’ve befriended the boss. Then there are those who cheat, lie, and break every rule in the book, yet they always seem to land on their feet while the rest of us are left holding the bill.
It’s exhausting. Here ‘we’ are, playing by the rules, paying our way, never taking a sick day, and trying our level best to be honest. Don’t you ever just think, what’s the point? Why do good things always seem to happen to bad people?
A 3:00 AM Reality Check
The other night, while I was trying to get some sleep, I had one of those moments. I call it a ‘conversation’ with God, but it isn’t like a chat over the garden fence. It’s more like a massive file being downloaded into my brain in a nanosecond. In an instant, I was hit with a complete, finished thought that left me with more than enough to ponder.
He showed me that when I feel this way: Bitter, resentful, and focused on what others are ‘getting away with’. My thoughts and my mind are in completely the wrong place. By fixating on their ‘riches,’ I was actually devaluing the true riches I’ve been given. Worse than that, I was sitting in the judge’s seat, haughtily deciding who is ‘bad’ and assuming that I am ‘good.’
But Jesus has a way of leveling the playing field:
‘Why do you call me good?” Jesus asked. “Only God is truly good.’
Mark 10:18 (NLT)
I don’t think of myself as a villain, but I am acutely aware that I am a sinful person. I need the grace and mercy of God just to breathe. I believe completely and utterly in Jesus. And I don’t mean I believe in a historical figure who died a long time ago. I believe in the Son of God who loves me (present tense), right now, in the middle of my mess.
When He went to that cross, He didn’t just perform a religious ritual. He took the full, crushing weight of my sin, my shame, and my personal suffering onto His own body. He felt the weight of every mistake I’ve made (and will make) and every bit of pain I carry. I wholly believe that He died, and that on the third day He rose again. I believe He is coming back.
It’s easy to look at ‘bad’ people and feel superior, but the reality is that I am a bad person who has been given the ultimate good thing. The gift He keeps giving me is always greater and bigger than any sin I could ever commit.
The ‘S-Word’
The word ‘sin’ is a massive trigger for people. It has such negative connotations. You can tell someone they’ve done something ‘bad’ and they might feel a bit of shame, but if you say, “You’re a sinner,” they’ll get defensive immediately. (I don’t suggest trying that at the local pub, by the way).
But the truth is, we are all in that category. If we accept it or not, we are all ‘bad’ people in light of God’s perfection. Yet, here I am a man who still says hurtful things, who still fails, who still falls short and God has given me a good thing. I’m aware of the gift he keeps giving me: a grace that is always bigger than my mess. And for that, I am so glad that he has decided to give good things to bad people.
Temporary Wins vs. Eternal Peace
What about the other side of ‘bad’? The people who truly seem to mock God and get away with it? Recently, while journeying through the Gospel of Matthew, I’ve realised that the things we consider ‘good’ the money, the easy life, the shortcuts, are temporary. They are for this world only.
I woke up from that conversation with God and saw the ‘Verse of the Day’ on my phone. It felt like a direct answer:
‘I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.’
John 16:33 (NLT)
Even in Genesis, my favourite book, we see this pattern. When Adam and Eve blew everything up and were being exiled from Eden, God didn’t just kick them out.
‘And the Lord God made clothing from animal skins for Adam and his wife.’
Genesis 3:21 (NLT)
They had failed spectacularly, yet he clothed them. He did a good thing for ‘bad’ people.
Changing the Prayer
My thought process has started to shift. Instead of praying that those ‘bad’ people see the error of their ways (which is usually just me wanting to be proved right), I’ve started praying that they come to God. I want them to have the good things I’ve been given. I want them to know love. Why? Because Jesus did the same for tax collectors, thieves, liars, and me.
This Lent has been different for me. Instead of giving things up, I’ve been trying to ‘pick things up.’ I’ve been intentionally praying for my family, for my relationship to flourish, and for my amazing partner to be healed and protected. I’ve been asking for a heart more like Jesus. And as I look back on these 40 days, I’ve felt a peace and a joy in my soul like never before. It reminds me of the song Reckless Love, the lyrics make me tear up almost every time because they remind me how far God will go to find us.
The View from Holy Saturday
I’m finishing this on Holy Saturday. Yesterday, we sat in the reflection of the cross and what Jesus endured on Good Friday. We have the luxury of knowing the outcome, but for those who were there, it must have been the darkest, most ‘unfair’ day in history.
It doesn’t matter what happens with those we consider ‘bad.’ It only matters where your heart, mind, and soul are focused. I had a revelation at the end of Proverbs the other day:
‘Who but God goes up to heaven and comes back down? Who holds the wind in his fists? Who wraps up the oceans in his cloak? Who has created the whole wide world? What is his name—and his son’s name? Tell me if you know!’
Proverbs 30:4 (NLT)
I know his name. His name is Yahweh—I AM. And his son’s name is Yeshua—Salvation. And who is he saving us from? Our greatest enemy of all: ourselves.
As I reflect on my own walk, I hope this stirs something in you. If you believe, I hope you realise what a massive gift you’re holding. And if you’re not sure, just know that Jesus loves you too. He has this gift for you as well. Perhaps it’s time to hold out your hands and say, “Jesus, I accept this.”
A Simple Prayer
Lord, forgive me for the times I judge others while forgetting my own need for Your grace. Thank You that You are a God who gives good things to undeserving people. Help me to fix my eyes on You and the eternal peace You promise, rather than the temporary things of this world. Amen.
Happy Easter everybody. Spoiler, the tomb is empty and he has risen!.