Do you ever just get tired...

"But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.  If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them.  Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back."  Luke 6:27-30 (NIV)

Do you ever just get tired of being good and doing the right thing all the time?  I know I do...of course, that makes me sound like I'm such a goodie two-shoes, I know.  But you know what I mean, right?  Do you ever have those moments where you don't want to turn the other cheek, swallow those hateful words on the tip of your tongue or smile and wave?  I do...unfortunately more often than not.

Sometimes I just want to tell the person I'm talking to exactly what I think about the comments they're making.  Occasionally, I want to cut in line, even though I know it's wrong, because why shouldn't I get to be up front every now and then?  There are times when I want to ignore the nagging little voice inside my head telling me what I should do for someone else because it's just what they need right now, even though I feel like I'm just too busy and nobody ever does that for me.

And then you'll have someone say, well, you're a Christian, right?  Or something about how you should have a good Christian attitude.  Well, folks, I hate to disappoint you, but just because you or I claim to be a Christian doesn't mean we won't have those moments where we want to tell someone to shove it.  We all have those occasions when we just want to throw a big, fat tantrum...and unfortunately, sometimes the devil wins and an explosion occurs!

And there He goes again in the scripture, telling us to turn the other cheek to our enemies.  Oh yeah, just what I want to do:  Here, smack me on this side too; oh, this shirt looks so good with that coat, take it too; and while you're at it, take anything I have, you can just keep it!  But man, oh, man, sometimes it gets old always being the good guy.  Occasionally, I just want to be like a child and scream, "When is it MY turn?"  And then I remember, I am a child, a child of God...and at times I do act like a child.

When I pray, I constantly ask for my needs, my wants, my desires to be fulfilled.  I may also pray for the needs of others, but you bet that not a prayer goes by that doesn't include my own selfish requests.  And then I think of Jesus, who was unselfishly willing to take one for the team.  Talk about turning the other cheek.  He died to save us, the very people who put him on that cross.  When I think about it, God has to turn the other cheek with me daily.  Is it too much of me to turn mine?

Sometimes I get tired of doing the right thing...so I cave in and do what is wrong and then watch the consequences unfold. Sometimes I have that urge to be evil...I follow through with it and then carry that guilt around with me for days.  Sometimes I say those hateful words on the tip of my tongue when they should've been swallowed...and I regret it almost immediately, words I can never take back...perhaps even a failed witnessing opportunity. 

Honestly, sometimes I get tired of being a Christian, but then I am reminded of the many, many blessings that I receive from a God who loves me even when I'm acting like a child.  1 Peter 3:17 is one of my favorite all-time verses that helps me with this battle:  For it is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.  So, friends, let us suffer for doing good and turn the other cheek...even if it's exhausting.