No good deed goes unpunished.

If we look back on our life and the lives of those close to us we know that statement to be true.  Unfortunately that doesn't change the circumstances.  The punishment can come from those in authority, those in our fringe group or even intimate circle of friends and family.  Take for example the good Samaritan who stops to help someone who is unconscious only to have a lawsuit filed against him for stopping a suicide attempt.  Really!?  Back in the day...(well at least I remember "the day") things like this wouldn't happen.  There are two factors in The USA that keep the punishment as a first thought to others.  They are insurance companies and lawyers.  There are lawsuits for everything!  Insurance companies have record levels of fraud.   True story:  a burglar was burglarizing a home when the home owner came home.  The burglar didn't know the home owner was armed with a loaded gun.  When the burglar went after the home owner he was shot, wounded and transported to a hospital.  Though he was arrested AND prosecuted AND found guilty he still filed a civil suit against the home owner for shooting him!  Here is the crazy part.  The insurance company felt it was cheaper to pay off the burglar than to fight the lawsuit in court!  So, the burglar made off with more than he would have and the home owner was penalized for doing what was right.  If this was just a sporadic story I would stop here and probably not even write about this.  However, a lot of us have been found guilty of doing good and received punishment for our actions.  I had an uncle who was a pack rat (they call them hoarders now).  He was elderly and asked me to help me paint his home.  I agreed and went about cleaning and painting.  One day I had to move his couch.  Piled 4 feet high were old newspapers of which most of them were unopened.  I took the old newspapers and donated them at a drop box.  The next time I saw my uncle he was furious that I had thrown them away.  He forbid me from finishing the painting and he decided he didn't want to see me or my family again.  Looking back I can see how I could have gone about the situation better.  Hopefully that is what happens when we run into these situations.  We learn and move on.  It's not about not doing the good deed.  It's about finding a better way to do the good deed.  For instance, working anonymously to help someone is a good way to do good and not get caught.  I know that sounds crazy.  But it does work.  One year on my birthday I went to an elderly neighbor who had lots of foot tall grass in his yard to cut.  I offered to cut his grass for free.  He agreed and the next day I started the job (it took two full days!).  While I was working his wife came home and confronted me.  I told her the agreement I had with her husband and she went inside to talk with him.  I didn't see her until I had finished the job.  She insisted I come in for lemonade.  Okay, so far so good.  Then the inquisition!  What was my motive?  Had I done this before?  What made me think I could just come over and offer to help for free?  The last one really got me.  He was okay with my actions and loved the job that had been done.  She was glad the job was done but was convinced that I had an ulterior motive.  Before I left she made me take a geranium with me as "payment."  She never talked with me again.  Who knew?  Jesus had a similar situation with the healing of the lepers.  There were a bunch of them.  They recognized Jesus and asked him to heal them.  He did so.  Only one of the men came back to thank Jesus.  The others just went on their way.  So how many times has Jesus done good for me and I've been angry at him for doing so?  Way too many for me to think about.  At the time I thought he was going where he had no business.  I didn't see His plan for my life.  I didn't see that his actions would benefit others down the road.  This was for the good things that I perceived as negative initially.  What the real issue for me was I wanted to run my life.  I didn't want to let God run my life.  So, I played god and of course the outcome is always less even if it's good.  Today I still do good even though that good deed may result in my being punished.  If that's the worst that comes my way then so be it.  Jesus did nothing but good and they crucified him.  This was the ultimate good deed!  It resulted in my salvation.  If we focus on the punishment we will do less and less good.  If we focus on the good we will do more and more good.  Don't let the world beat you down with punishment.  If there is no opposition in your life, if there is no struggle in your life, and if there are no difficult decisions, then most likely you aren't doing much to show forth Christ in your life.