A few weeks ago my apartment here in Kingston was broken into. My three house mates and I were away for the week (the only time we get off aside from Christmas) and we returned to find several hundred dollars worth of cash and electrical hardware stolen. One guy lost his laptop, another his ipod (although the thief forgot the charger) and digital camera, and I lost money which I was counting on to get me through to the end of the year (Hey Mom and Dad! I LOVE YOU GUY$!). Apparently the guy came in through one of the windows that was left unlocked and then proceeded to take our stuff:
Coming from a small town where nobody locks their doors or windows, I was stunned by this insensitive thievery of that which I considered to be rightfully mine and the possessions of my house mates, none of whom had done anything to warrant this crime. I have been unable to conceive what could have been on the person’s mind as he walked from room to room taking what he wanted. What was even more distressing was the breach of privacy we had been subjected to. There was somebody in our house and our rooms without our permission. The drawer where I had hid my money was still open, the contents visibly moved around. All of the doors to our rooms were left open and debris from the door that was smashed in lay on the hallway floor:
I was just waiting for Jack Nicholson to stick his head through an axed hole in the door and say “Here’s Johnny!”.
You can’t tell from the photo, but there is a big crack on the molding next to the door where it was kicked. Even the one guy with the sense to lock his bedroom door fell victim to the covetousness of a thief.
He left his flashlight here (not a smart cookie) which we promptly turned over to police. We were told that the odds of them catching the guy were small, which is understandable but underscores the failure of law enforcement to act as a deterrent when resources are stretched thin, like they are in Kingston. Getting past the initial shock didn’t take too long and I’ll get by alright without the money. If something is to be learned from this whole fandango it is not that there are people in the world who are willing to take what is not theirs, or that we should be more careful to provide for out own security (both of which are perfectly valid lessons) but that the true test of a Christian is how one responds to situations where we are confronted with injustice. By all practical standards I have every right, nay, an obligation, to prosecute this guy to full extent of the law. However, Christ preached a doctrine of “turning the other cheek”, that is if a man strikes you, turn so that he might strike the other side of your face (Matthew 5:38-42). One of the first emotions I felt when I realized I had lost money was rage-not a very Christian emotion. I imagined myself hitting the guy on the head and then duck taping him to a chair, if only I had been home when he had broken in. Although realistically, if somebody broke into my house it probably would have played out more like this:
That’s me hiding under my covers with the only weapon at my disposal.
Back to the issue of forgiveness. I have been questioning my own morality by asking myself whether or not I would let the guy keep the money. I tried to answer this by saying that it is irrelevant since he will not be caught. Nonetheless, I am not excused if in my own heart I would not forgive him and show mercy just as God showed to mankind. Had the break-in been done by an unemployed father trying to feed his family, mercy would not be difficult to give. However, if it was a teenager with nothing better to do or who was too lazy to get a job, forgiveness without justice feels totally unnatural. Living up to the Biblical standard in this case, and all situations, requires a suppression of human morality and a surrender of the benefit of the doubt to God.
One of the parables that Jesus told was of an unmerciful servant who was forgiven of a large debt he owed his master but refused to forgive a small debt that was owed to him by one of his own servants (Matthew 18:21-35). The grace that the master showed was meant to be an example for his own servant. Likewise Christ’s sacrifice should set an example to all people and teach us a valuable lesson in forgiveness.
-optional toaster
PS: 226 hits in less than one week=awesome .
there’s a great show on Discovery called “It takes a thief” The ideas in this post are similar to the lessons learned on the show, except you seem to learn much more quickly than those people.