Justice Isn’t Proven in Comfort

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”

When I contemplate justice, I don’t merely think about theoretical concepts. Instead, I envision practical applications that emerged during a pivotal moment in my marriage when God confronted me with the true essence of justice.

After several deployments, our son wrestled profoundly with the absence of his father. Unable to articulate his pain, he acted out his anger towards me. Exhausted and deeply hurt, I sought solace in my husband’s embrace.

Instead, I heard: “I know what it’s like to live with someone like you.”

It cut me deeply.

In that moment, justice to me meant: I don’t deserve this.

And I didn’t.

But God wasn’t finished teaching me.

As I sat with God, I realized something harder: for years, I had wounded my husband in ways I hadn’t fully owned. In his pain, he responded from what the world often calls justice—judgment shaped by hurt, conclusions shaped by history, and fairness defined by emotion.

I, on the other hand, was standing in pride, demanding justice for myself without first allowing God to search my own heart.

That’s when I learned the difference.

The world’s justice asks:

Who is wrong?

Who deserves punishment?

How do we protect ourselves?

God’s justice asks:

What is broken?

What needs truth?

What needs healing?

Who needs dignity restored?

The world’s justice is reactive. God’s justice is restorative.

Scripture says, “Act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God.” (Micah 6:8)

Justice is not something we define when we’re wounded. It flows from God’s character. Without His justice, we would never understand His mercy, His patience, or His love.

I wanted comfort from my husband in a season of turmoil. God offered something better: transformation.

He invited me to let Him take inventory of my heart. To expose where I was defensive.Where I was hardened.Where I needed healing too.

Justice is not about being right. It’s about being aligned.

It is the work of the Holy Spirit that empowers us to live differently—to speak truth without cruelty, to hold boundaries without hatred, and to love without enabling harm.

And this is where justice becomes action.

We are called to stand for those whose voices have been silenced.

To protect the dignity of the vulnerable.To confront oppression without becoming oppressive.

To reflect God’s character in a world shaped by power and control.

God’s justice doesn’t just punish wrongdoing.

It restores what was stolen.

It rebuilds what was broken. It frees what has been bound.

That is the justice worth living for.

And the kind worth modeling—especially when it costs us comfort.

Questions to ponder

Where am I currently defining justice from: my pain or God’s character?

Where have I operated from self-righteousness instead of humility?

Am I trying to win, or am I trying to love well?

How can I model justice that restores instead of justice that retaliates?

What is one practical way I can act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly today?

Do our actions protect the vulnerable and honor dignity?

Emma Martin