EDIT: Because my roommate is innocent until proven guilty, I have removed his name from this post. I was given some excellent wisdom about the danger of casting blame, and what that could do to a potential court case. Thank you, Dad.
This past Monday, my roommate [redacted] returned while I was at work.
He brought a few friends with him.
He picked up some of his possessions, and grabbed a few of mine while he was at it.
Five guns.
A brand-new guitar.
A friend's gun.
As I sifted through my ransacked room that was left in their wake, I discovered other things missing. Ten PMAG ammunition magazines. Blankets. An Atlanta Braves hat autographed by my cousin Brandon Beachy. My cologne...?
My initial response was anger. "Why, God? I opened my home to this troubled young man because You told me to. Is this what You had in mind? I have had extreme patience with him, even covering rent for him a few months and visiting him in jail." I reminded God, just in case He had forgotten all the trials I've suffered.
I took a deep breath. "Store up treasures in Heaven, where thieves cannot break in and snatch 'em away." I told myself.
And then I discovered that some personal, handwritten letters from a dear friend had been taken. They weren't taken intentionally...it was because I safely kept them in a dry-storage ammunition box and my visitors grabbed everything gun-related they could find.
I nearly lost it.
Guns? I can't replace them, but I can survive without them.
Guitar? God had blessed me with it unexpectedly, and could do so again if He chooses.
Blankets, hats, and cologne? Those can be replaced.
But not handwritten letters. Those cannot be replaced. They are priceless to me.
"God, teach me the lesson You need me to learn, but please rescue me from this discouragement."
Along with the evidence that [redacted]'s room had been cleaned and mine had been completely trashed, my neighbor had been home all day, and had seen [redacted] stop in with his girlfriend and a male friend. All my attempts to contact my roommate failed. His phone was disconnected. Because my friend's gun was stolen and we did not want to be claimed as accessories in giving guns to a felon, I called the police department. They sent over two friendly deputies to ask questions and take photos. I had carefully written down all my gun serial numbers for such a time as this, but could not find that list of serial numbers to save my life. I believe I left the list in the gun safe, and it was taken. (I'm still searching for that list amongst the papers thrown all over my room. Your prayers are appreciated!)
The next day I struggled with depression. It felt as if my joy had been stolen along with my possessions. "Lord, I don't understand this, but You are good to me. You have given so many blessings. Please help [redacted]. Please help me. Refresh my memory that all I own is Yours to begin with."
I met with a prayer group and shared what had happened. Together we prayed for God to administer justice, for His name to be glorified, and for those responsible to repent and turn their hearts to Jesus.
God restored joy to me, and reminded me of the things that cannot be stolen. Family, friends, a relationship with Jesus, the promise of eternity with God, my identity in the Kingdom...these are worth far above anything I could possess.
Last Saturday, some of my friends and I determined to read through the Bible in a week. I said it wasn't possible, so we extended the deadline to two weeks. It has been an incredible exercise. Knowing I would be unable to read 5 hours a day, I downloaded a free audio Bible and have been listening as I work. I definitely recommend reading through the Bible in a short time span, (I'm a Mennonite. Getting things in bulk is always better!) but I recommend it with caution. Satan gets all cranky when you decide to spend more time in the Word. Another of my friends doing the challenge hit a deer and totaled his car while traveling home to Madison.
"Random coincidence!" Says the redundant bystander.
Try it for yourself. See what process of refinement God starts in your own heart once you dive into His word.
"And you shall remember the whole way that the Lord your God has led you...that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not." -Deuteronomy 8:2
Lord, test me. Help me to keep Your commandments.
No comments:
Post a Comment