Lessons the burglar taught me...

My thoughts and feelings are all a mess; chaos and confusion plague my heart and mind. But I’ve had this feeling before – it isn’t altogether new. It’s that feeling you get when things go terribly wrong and there is absolutely nothing you can do about it – everything is out of your control. I get that feeling that I just want to start the day over, to begin again as though nothing ever happened and all is well.

Our house was burglarized last night. From what I hear, the thief got away with about $500 and a digital camera… but he left a major mess. It’s all just so mind boggling to me – I just left my house yesterday afternoon and all was well. But now… my room is windowless and boasts of broken glass, my parent’s room is has been completely ransacked, my brothers lost the money they had saved up for a Wii, police have inspected our house, a stranger has walked through the place I live taking what he wanted and leaving behind what he didn’t need… It’s just so hard to imagine that something like this really happened to my house, to my family.

This has never happened to us before. It’s one of those thing you just think will never happen to you. Apparently, the thief broke-in and entered the house through my very bedroom window – throwing a rock to break the glass. I just have so many questions! I keep wondering things like... did he see the Bible verse I have on my wall? The one directly across from my window? What did he think of it? What was running through his head as he stole the money from my jar labeled “church” and saw all the church related things throughout our house? Did he look at pictures to figure out what we looked like and who he was hurting? Did he put the pieces together that our family has adopted? What kind of guilt did he have as he left the house with loot in hand? How did he think we’d react? What made him choose our house? Had he tried before and chickened-out? What time did he come? Was there light outside or did he use a flashlight (he turned our electricity off)? What’s he doing now…?

But then I ask myself what God is teaching me through this? And even though it’s been less than 24 hours since the burglary happened, I can see a number of lessons already. 1) The money he stole of mine was tithing money I had yet to give the church. Had I given it when I got it (as first-fruits) the thief would not have had the money, it would have been safe in God’s hands… Give God your first-fruits the first thing when you get them; He has better safety controls and better uses for it than you do. 2) Earthly things really do pass away and fade; don’t store up stuff on earth, where moth and rust destroy and thieves break in and steal! Don’t get too attached to stuff. Be attached to God who will never rust or fade. Your relationship with Him can never be robbed of… Nothing can separate us from the love of Christ! 3) Jesus would forgive our thief. Jesus already had. I don’t like what he has done, but I know that he is a creation of God. Regardless of his deeds, Jesus died for this thief. Jesus thought he was worthy dying for. What right do I have to think anything less?

I don’t like that my house was ransacked. I don’t like that he took our stuff. I hate that he broke my window and I’m mad that he dashed the boy’s hopes… but I am glad/joyful that God has given me an opportunity to know Him better. I have found that it is in the rough times that I turn to Jesus most. It is in the times that I am scared and hurt that I recognize I need Him and that I constantly run to Him throughout the day. This is scary and a little bit painful. I’m already running to Jesus and, ever-faithful, He is there with open arms, ready to invest in our relationship. I want our relationship to grow. If this is what it takes, I don’t like it, but I need it and I’ll take it. I want you, Jesus. Just you… no matter what it takes.