On Being Robbed
So I come back to my car from playing tennis Saturday evening, and the passenger-side window has been busted out; come to find out my wife’s purse had been taken. But Jesus is still Lord, of this and every situation. I’m reminded of the comments of Matthew Henry, after his home had been burglarized, praising the Lord for several aspects of the situation; I paraphrase loosely. We thank the Lord that
1. Though the thief took her purse, neither she nor I were harmed in any other way.
2. Though her money was taken, it wasn’t much (frankly, the hassle is worth more than the money that was taken). Credit card was canceled before any charge accrued.
3. Though the purse was stolen, several other things in plain view (GPS, my wallet, my BlackBerry) were not taken, and she had her cell phone with her (she was taking a walk with other wives of tennis players).
4. We were the ones stolen from, and not the one(s) doing the stealing.
Stuff comes, and stuff goes; moth and rust corrupt, and thieves break through and steal. But the treasures we lay up in heaven? Hey, thief, just try to grab those away from us!
That brought to mind the scene in the movie “The Godfather” where Paulie, Vito’s driver, while at Vito’s daughters wedding, is watching the bride collecting money from her guests in a little silk purse. He would’ve been tempted to steal it if it was anyone but the Godfather’s daughter.
The thief who robbed you has no idea who your Father is.
Yeah, good point!
I’m reminded of my missions trip to Peru this summer. One of the teams was working in a particularly rough part of town. They were told not to carry anything when they went outside the church, except for a Bible. There, the Bible (and those who carry it) has/have a sufficiently good reputation that thieves prefer to pass on it for other victims.
So, had you been in Peru and your thief known who your Father is, he might have passed you by. Here, I don’t think criminals have such inhibitions, so it probably wouldn’t have mattered either way.