Being Christian is Hard

If you're Christian, you know exactly what I mean. The road less traveled is exactly that, less traveled. When I was lost in sin & darkness, life was so much easier. I said what I wanted to, did what I wanted & didn't give either very much thought. 

I had the "I don't care what people think about me" attitude, much like most people do. All that changed when I come to Christ. All of it. Everything that was wrong with my life changed. He changed me. Whether I was willing or not, the Holy Spirit pretty much pecked away at me until all the bad things were gone. Well, there are still a few bad things: frustration, impatience & attitude are at the top of the list. The list is much shorter now, thank goodness. I work on these things daily. I'm a work in progress and He's doing the best He can with what He's got to work with.

Last Friday night, Owen had a makeup game at the ball field & so we headed out to make the last game happen. It was cloudy all afternoon & of course, when we were about ten minutes into the game, they said, "into the dugout". Me [and my attitude] were ready to head to the house & relax, NOT stand around and wait on rain. It made absolutely no sense to me. As we're all standing underneath the concession stand, we're talking & of course, I say how this makes absolutely no sense to me & some random Mom (not from our team) says something like, well it could blow over. I don't really know exactly what she said, but I know the look I gave her. The "who are you and why are you in our conversation" look. 

Yuck. I should be ashamed of myself. In fact, I was---immediately. I wasn't nasty to her. I wasn't ugly. I didn't roll my eyes. I just didn't say anything in reply to her statement & turned my head. She may have not known what I was thinking, but I did. I was rude. That was rude. She was just trying to be nice and I was rude.

Being Christian is hard. 

Every second of every day is no longer mine. It belongs to Jesus Christ. He works in me to lead others to Him. He never ceases to amaze me, all things connect together & where He needs me, He leads me. 

In Sunday School last week, the moral of the story was that we should be kind to people even when they are unkind to us. No, she wasn't unkind to me but would it have hurt me to smile when she was being nice? 

Sometimes people are not kind. Sometimes people are downright rude. Sometimes, people are rude intentionally & we should lead by example and be kind anyway. 

So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good. As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 2:1-5 (ESV)

Being Christian is Hard. 

Don't give up!