Living with Thieves

Car window crushed to smithereens. New laptop lost. Briefcase gone. Important files, documents, manuscripts, lists, records, checks—a large chunk of our working lives—poof!

If you’ve been robbed of these valuables, in this manner, like my husband and I were recently, you must know how it feels to be violated and devastated.

Why must there be thieves among us? I ask myself. Well, why must there be murderers, rapists, idolaters, sadists, grafters, smugglers, drug dealers? From Bible times, criminals of all colors have been prowling the earth, poised to pounce on the next helpless victim.

After that tragic night, I kept quizzing myself on the possible reasons why the thieves, who carted away all our work ammo, did what they did:

a. They are too poor, they need the money.
b. They are heartless; they enjoy inflicting pain upon others.
c. To get even with those who have what they don’t have.
d. To teach careless people a lesson.
e. To earn the easy way.

Analysis paralysis. There is no way one can explain people’s minds. Each human being has been given by the Creator a free will to obey or disobey His word. After this dreadful incident, we were deluged with advice from well-meaning friends:

“Never leave your valuables inside your car; too much temptation.”

“Always have back-up files left at home.”

“Check on your car every once in a while.”

“Avoid parking in a secluded area.”

“Don’t take any valuables out of your house.”

“Take a cab to where you’re going and leave your car where it is safe.”

Etcetera, etcetera.

True, one can never be too careful. But why must fear rule our lives? We can’t all have unbreakable glass windows, hire bodyguards, install alarm and gadgets over our bodies and belongings, or keep watch over our valuables 24/7.

If we did, the thieves among us can still find us when our guards are down. What made the experience even worse was what happened the following day. My husband Tony went to the police station to report the crime. The policeman on duty asked him, “So what do you want us to do?”

For the first time in his life, Tony was at a loss for words.

So, moving forward and continue living in a world littered with thieves and other unscrupulous creatures, there is no other way but to accept this state of affairs.

This is hardest part of Christianity—to live with cruelty, ugliness, and apathy in others especially if we are the victims. Our ability to accept one another can only come from a Source outside of ourselves, and bigger than all of us.

We can only cope with dysfunctions because we know that God first loved us. One of the most incredible passages in Scripture is Romans 5:6-8: “For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—but God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

With His infinite power, God knows the extent of man’s moral and spiritual ugliness. But He didn't wait until we became beautiful and spotless before He loved us. While we were wallowing in sin, Jesus died for us. Oh, what grace.

Although a victim of savage thievery and police apathy, I feel that as a member of the family of God, I have to bravely face this dangerous world and continually pray for acceptance of the existence of wrong, never ceasing to do what I can, using my gifts, to make this world a little less fearsome.

I agonize over thieves and all the evil I encounter. But I also find in my heart a refreshing confidence. I know that in the end, in His time, God will right every wrong, will make everything beautiful—and justice will prevail.

Now, I wonder. Despite the anguish over what happened, why do I feel sunshine in my soul?