Why do times get tough?

In the past two weeks I feel like I have walked through Hell. I have been a victim of theft (in some way) twice, my father is still in the hospital and being very stubborn, and spiritually I feel completely drained. Talk about frustrated.

Last week I had to go back to my hometown to request and extension for taxes because my father was in the hospital. The timing of his illness was absolutely terrible, but that’s life. While I was in town I decided that the dress boots I was wearing wouldn’t really cut it (they aren’t that comfortable, but boy do they look good). I went to Walmart thinking I would grab some inexpensive, but comfortable shoes.

I’m a man and I shop like a typical man. I don’t try things on and I really don’t check to make sure what I’m getting is the correct thing. I know that is not a very good approach, but I’m stupid. I found a pair of shoes I liked (by looking at the display shoe). I looked around and found the right box that contained my size. I paid for my shoes and rushed home to try on my new “kicks”.

I sat down in my mother’s loving room and opened the box. I was thrown back by possibly the worst smell coming from a pair of shoes I have ever experienced. The shoes in the box were scuffed, dirty, incredibly old, and obviously not the shoes I had intended to buy. Apparently someone had stolen the real shoes out and replaced them with their old funky shoes. What a rip off!?!?!

Imagine that someone low enough to steal shoes right out of the store. But, they didn’t just steal the shoes victimizing the store the replaced the shoes with their old ones victimizing someone else.

I actually laughed it off and chalked it up to a lesson learned. I even kept the shoes because they may make a good object lesson for the kids at church. I took care of my business in town (still sporting my very uncomfortable boots) and returned to Wilmington.

Dad’s condition had improved greatly and I had returned to work. I work at a Christian bookstore. There’s something about working at a places associated with Jesus that sometimes (in my opinion) gives you a false sense of security. I rolled into work Thursday morning and parked in the employee lot by the store. I locked my door, but left the window cracked to keep the inside of the car from getting so hot.

I went into work and finished my 10:30-3 shift. When 3 o’clock came I rushed to my car opened the door (which wasn’t locked anymore) and headed home. About halfway home I started noticing that something was wrong. My backpack was gone and so was my wallet. Inside my backpack was my laptop, mp3 player, and digital camera. My wallet held far more sensitive material. The thieves had taken my credit cards, social security card, and my license. Talk about scared I rushed to a computer with the internet and canceled the cards immediately. I checked to see if they had spent any money in my name. As it turns out they had. They had spent about $50 dollars at a few places in a matter of two hours. Fortunately I had canceled the card before any more damage could be done.

I came into church this morning to get some work done. My pastor asked me if I had heard any news about my stuff. Of course I haven’t. I told him that in the long run the thieves had really done me no harm. The bank is going to refund the fraudulent charges and I managed to get everything frozen and alerted before any real damages was done. In they end it’s just stuff. So, I’ve let it go.

Even after Christ had been beaten, humiliated, whipped, and more He hung on the cross and begged God to forgive the people that had tormented Him.

Luke 23:33-35

33^(A)When they came to the place called The Skull, there they crucified Him and the criminals, one on the right and the other on the left.

 34But Jesus was saying, “^(B)Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing “ ^(C)And they cast lots, dividing up His garments among themselves.

 35And the people stood by, looking on. And even the ^(D)rulers were sneering at Him, saying, “He saved others; ^(E)let Him save Himself if this is the Christ of God, His Chosen One.”

 

I feel like humans wander about blind to what we are doing sometimes. We chalk certain sins up as survival or “getting them before they get me”.  We live in a world that is so twisted and broken that we don’t even know how to treat one another.

I was talking to my friend Justin (who also happens to be a worship leader in my church) the day my car got broken into.  I expressed my frustration in the fact that someone had robbed me. I explained how it blew my mind someone would even think to go into someones property and take things that weren’t there. He said something that was very simple and very cool.

“Chris, you and I were blessed that we found something real to hold onto that changed our lives. That’s why we do what we do here (at the church). We’ve got to show these people what Jesus is really all about.”

He’s completely right. So, somehow I’ve managed to forgive the thieves that have impacted my life recently. I hope in some way you are blessed by what you took. There happens to be a Bible in that backpack. There are no hard feelings from me. Go, be blessed.

~ by Chris Long on April 23, 2008.