Martyrdom

Historically, a martyr is a person who dies for their convictions or religious faith, such as during the persecution of early Christians in the Roman Empire. NOT someone that has to set up for a church luncheon by herself... But you wouldn't have known that by the tone, and anger inflected in my friend's voice yesterday at church.

A friend of ours, we'll call her RL is working on this project at church, and there was supposed to be a big luncheon Sunday (yesterday) after church for its kick-off.. well our friend RL is not the over achieving planner like some of us are, so on her way out of town RL asks our Bible study class to help with food, that she has nothing planned. Keep in mind that this past weekend was the one year anniversary of her fiancee's death. So I shifted into planning mode, I was actually glad to do it for my friend RL... I got the food organized and the troops bring the food, but my other friend we will call BH, wanted to whine and complain about it the whole time... I kept reminding her that we were doing this as a favor to our friend and we should rejoice in it.. (see I'm really trying to have the Christian spirit here...) But BH would not let it go, and complained about it to everyone that would pretend to listen.... It started to get on my nerves, but I just kept praying about it....

So Sunday morning I go to Sunday School, actually the Sunday School Hour was all of us watching the Music Camp's production of Jonah...the kids were soooooo cute... Then I went on to the 11:00 service...BH normally sits with me but she wasn't there. I figured something had happened, I was actually a little worried.. But I enjoyed the service and slipped out just before the benediction, to set up the food. No biggie, right? Wrong... I walk up the stairs, and say good morning to BH, she snaps at me and says "Where have you been?", I tell her I was in church... she starts going on and on how she had to set up all by herself, and there was no one there to help, and that RL's committee wasn't there, yada,yada,yada... I was furious.. I am griped at like that all the time and I wasn't about to be griped at like that in church!! I reminded her that she DID NOT have to take this on, and that it would have gotten handled one way or the other...also we needed to remember that this was a labor of love for our friend, who needed our help... she poubted and kind of just left when no one would listen to her gripe any longer...

This is what people don't like organized religion..b/c people like BH lose sight of what is important...helping a friend in need... Jesus would have helped without any question or complaint...

That is the nice thing to say, but what I really wanted to say (Lord forgive me) was "Honey, get down off your cross, cuz someone else needs the wood!"... Last time I checked you couldn't be considered a martyr for setting up a luncheon by yourself...

If you want to do something nice for someone, do it because you feel compelled to do it, not b/c you want the accolades...