Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him
labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to
give to him that needeth. Ephesians,
Chapter 4, verse 28.
When I was about ten years old, I talked a neighbor into going to the local “Candy Store.” I talked him into stealing some candy, graham crackers and gum ball rings with me. I even talked him into going back to do the same thing a second time.
I stopped doing that. No, I never got caught and no one ever told
on me. I just didn't feel right inside. I knew I had stolen and so did God. No matter what I did, I couldn't rationalize
things. God knew it and I knew it. It was as simple as that! All I could think to do at the time was to
stop stealing and to become a better example of how God works in my life. (I guess I should have gone to make amends to
the store owner, but that didn't cross my mind until about 20 years later.)
Now, as a school teacher, I remember this situation
when I find one of my students stealing something. (It’s kind of funny, every year I have a
student who takes a big handful of the play money that I use for math. When I talk to them, they always try to tell
me that a relative gave it to them.) Then,
I tell them about when I was about their age and stole too. I talk about how I didn't like how I felt
inside because I knew I stole, so I stopped stealing. I ask them if I’m a bad person now. (They always tell me no.) Then, I ask them if stealing was a poor
choice? I tell them they are right. Stealing is a poor choice, but we don’t have
to continue to steal. I tell them that I
have confidence that they can turn things around just like I did.
Sometimes I get concerned when youngsters do
something wrong and label themselves as “bad people”. I think they sometimes start behaving like
they think “bad people” behave. It’s so
important for kids to realize that they aren't “bad people,” but have just made
poor choices and are able to turn it around and to make better choices. This is important to remember the next time a
child does something that upsets you. We
want them to realize how to make better choices in the future, rather than
staying focused on all the poor choices that they have made in their lives. I’m so glad that God has been much more
forgiving of me than I have been of others.
This is a connection I've
made from this Bible passage. Please share your connections.
Because this is an example of how I’ve applied this Bible passage to my life, it doesn't necessarily reflect the whole meaning of the passage.
