The Honest Thief

The screech of tires on the asphalt pavement could be clearly heard late at night. Next the sound of metal hitting metal pierced the darkness. With an abrupt halt, the truck came to stop hitting the trunk of the car directly in front. An accident! Not exactly what my husband expected on his way from the airport but slowly the shock wore off. Inside his truck the airbag deployed preventing him from further danger. The seatbelt held him firmly in place. A call to 9-1-1 alerted the local police that assistance was needed. One at a time other drivers stopped, wondering if they could help in any way. Slowly the events of the evening unfolded and flashing blue lights alerted other drivers to slow down and proceed with caution.

As the tow truck arrived and people began to clear the scene of the accident another tale unfolded that made me really question what motivates people to do what they do. Since my husband was coming home from an out-of-town trip, he had luggage in the back of the truck. His computer and medical breathing device were in the seat behind the driver’s side. The bags were placed in sight by the side of the road while all the details were being taken care of. Tired and ready to come home, my husband went to pick up his luggage only to discover that two items were missing. Yes, someone had taken advantage of the situation and had stolen a laptop and a CPAP medical device. Inside the computer bag was a set of Bose headphones and a MP3 player. In just a matter of minutes almost $5000 of merchandise had been stolen. After all the stress of dealing with the accident another problem added to the already exhausting night.

While authorities searched the along the roadside we waited in anticipation and a hope that the missing items would be recovered. To me, it was the absolute lowest level to which anyone could sink. I know that today’s world has changed from even a decade ago, but I never thought anyone would use the busy activity that surrounds an accident as a cover-up for theft. Just one more thing to add to our list of things to do.

It was four days later that we discovered that we had indeed encountered an “honest” thief. A strange envelope arrived in the mail addressed to my husband with no return address label. When the envelope was opened, the driver’s license that had also come up missing was inside. Thank you so much!! You take the time to steal from the accident scene yet you feel sympathy that someone has lost his driver’s license. Come on! Am I supposed to be grateful for your help?? If you are going to be honest enough to return the driver’s license why not return everything that had been stolen?? Does this really mean that there is honor among thieves?

This example made me question what motivates people to do the things they do. I already know that many people think of the evening as a time to party and make friendships. As a Christian I need to be reminded that many people are living in spiritual darkness. That darkness refers to the missing light of Christ in the lives of unsaved men. One of the Ten Commandments is “Thou shalt not steal (Exodus 20:15). This warning comes early in the Old Testament and is repeated throughout the New Testament. John 10:10 states, “The thief cometh not but for to steal and to kill and to destroy”. The warning is clear and strong. A thief is not to be trusted.

In a deeper spiritual truth, the thief who works hard to prevent me from keeping real fellowship with Christ is Satan himself. He will manifest himself in several ways to tempt me to turn away from God. In the most difficult situations God is beside me and protects me. When the thief seeks to take away my peace or tempts me to move away from God and indulge in some sin, I am the one who has to depend on God. My life is not an accident and God has a purpose for me. To stay focused I need to pay attention to God’s Word and stay close to Him. I must use wisdom in solving problems and share God’s Word with others so that my life is protected from the thief who is hoping for an accident to happen.