Every pastor has had someone come and complain. “So-and-so did such-and-such. I tried to do the right thing, so I said… but now he/she has turned against me. I was only trying to help!” What’s the truth? In some interpersonal conflicts, complaining parishioners are honestly part of the conflict, not innocent bystanders as they claim. But there also are times when someone innocently tries to do right and kaboom! No good deed goes unpunished.
“Jesus said, ‘I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch of mine that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit” (John 15:1-3). That’s a reality check, a faith reality check, from Jesus. He knows. “Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted” (Hebrews 12:3).
My good intentions and deeds still come from a sinner. True, we are forgiven but sin still is part of how we act. “If someone cuts with a rusty and rough hatchet, even though the worker is a good craftsman, the hatchet leaves bad, jagged, and ugly gashes. So it is when God works through us” (Martin Luther, “Heidelberg Disputation, VI). When the good deeds we try to do get us criticism, don’t let your hurt feelings turn to defensive self-righteousness. Think “pruning.” “This is how it was for Jesus.” If my truly innocent Lord willingly endured suffering for our sakes, then I will too, and gladly, because I’m with Jesus.
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