No good deed will go unpunished

 Have you ever found yourself in big trouble for doing good things?

I mean, there are so many good things out there we can do which, for the most part, can go completely unnoticed...

We can be honest...

We can be trustworthy...

We can be faithful to our husbands or wives...

We can provide food and shelter for the hungry and homeless...

We can protect our friends, families, neighbors, etc., 

We can show love and respect to others, even if they're complete strangers...

We can work hard, day in and day out...

We can avoid killing other people...

Doing these things on a daily basis should be no reason for anyone to think less of us, right?

So why is it that when a normal, ordinary individual states that he or she has decided to follow Jesus, who taught us to live by these standards, they're met with insults and ridicule?

Why do they suddenly find that others who don't share their beliefs are now watching them very closely, waiting for them to screw up so they can jump up and say "See??? I knew it was all fake!! And you call yourself a Christian!!"

This, of course, makes about as much sense as seeing someone who decides to learn how to play a musical instrument mess up a chord and jumping up to say "See??? I knew it was all fake!! And you call yourself a musician!!"

 I have a theory...

When someone claims that they're now a Christian, those who know them can tend to think about what that means for them, not the Christian. 

It's as if, by making that bold move, the new Christian will begin to hold expectations about how others should live their lives. 

It also holds that any non-believer who spends time around a Christian will have a nagging feeling about what all of that might mean for them. It can unearth the fear of "Well, if that's really what God wants from us, where do I stand?"

That can lead them to the conclusion that this new Christian is now putting themselves in a position of judgement over them. In reality, nothing could be further from the truth. 

If anything, the very basis of why they've come to this decision was coming to a place spiritually where they began to judge their own behavior, their own lives, their own spirituality, and decided that they wanted more.

While there are times when we can all get ahead of ourselves, every truly sincere person who turns to Christ does so because they feel an intense need to draw near to God. 

That's all. Nothing else.

That decision had absolutely nothing to do with anyone else. 

If you've decided to turn your life over to Christ and you're starting to feel some pushback from the people in your lives who disagree with your decision to do so, don't be alarmed. As Jesus himself said:

"Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ ^b If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also." - John 15:20