That's Not Fair! or Grace

Grace is one of those things that looks great in theory, but usually leaves me ranting at God in reality. Oh, sure, I love grace when it is directed at me. After all, I'm only human and I make lots of mistakes, so I need lots of grace. But sometimes I wish His grace was less available to others.
For example, there was a couple who were friends mine. I saw them starting to act a little cultish, so I confronted them. Rather than try to understand what I was saying, or work out our differences, or repent, they stopped returning my phone calls and refused to talk to me. My wife and I felt abandoned and wronged. We knew that God would punish them for their lack of love and their heresy. They would fail in their ministry objectives. They would lose money in their businesses. Instead they were successful and prosperous.
Needless to say I was angry at God. I wanted divine wrath for them, not divine grace. During this time I had a dream that the wife was in the hospital dying. In the dream I half heartedly prayed for her and she died. After she died God came to me and asked, "Is that punishment enough?" I woke up shaken.
Although I never would have said it out loud, in my heart I wanted them dead. That was the depth of my anger and hatred. But I wasn't just angry at them, I was angry at God. I was like the other son in the story of the prodigal son.
"The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. But he answered his father, 'Look! All these years I've been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!'" (Luke 15:28-30 TNIV)
I thought that by not punishing this couple God was saying that everything they did was okay with him. I wanted him to punish them so I could say, "See, I was right!" But God is not concerned with whether or not I am vindicated.
Grace is not fair. It covers people who live their whole lives sinless as well as those who sneak in at the last minute after a life time of sin. It covers those we love and jerks we don't. It covers you and it covers me. We have no choice about who God's grace covers. We do have the choice of whether or not we are going to join in on the grace party God is throwing, or if we are going to sit outside and grumble that the guest of honor should be punished.
Much grace!