What makes a thief? This week I have been challenged to forgive thefts from me and from people I know, but also to look into those thefts to see if something can be done about the mentally ill person I believe was involved in it and who probably had accomplices. I lost a gas-powered generator, never used, that cost me CAN$1035. A friend, who was lavishly gifted with gold jewelry when she was young, lost a necklace worth over US$5000 (a small part of her collection) for which her insurance company has rewarded her with less than US$700. My friend's young granddaughter, a young nursing student who tends women's nails as a side income, was robbed of several hundred dollars of manicure equipment from her car. A common thread running through these stories seems to be that the thieves think their thefts "justified" by the person they are stealing from being able to "afford" losing part of their means. They do not see a full financial picture of overwhelming debt or bitter lifetime losses or a struggle to make ends meet while getting an education. By the time the injured party has seen the police, an insurance company, or contemplated trying to replace the missing property, a further financial, time, and emotional burden has been incurred. I spent enough time on Facebook (thank you, Mark Zuckerberg) last night to put together the pieces of at least two families in tragic circumstances because the children had auditory problems affecting their ability to learn. While siblings were in college or other training, their opportunities had fizzled. Then, years blank of pictures when meth addictions set in to ruin the lovely smiles. I saw no signs of faith that might be a steadying influence, although one mother was working hard to celebrate family occasions, incapable of smiling. No sign of a father. Over those decades, I saw many signs of superficial values, such as an emphasis on appearance and style for the women, on mechanical power (cars, etc.) or trades for the men, and the occasional expensive holiday. Many people who cannot articulate their own values project them through captioned photos of pets or elaborate affirmations written by others that speak for their own longings. Pictures are worth thousands of words, but you get this picture so I won't go on. There is more to pity and to try to remediate in these thefts of property.
Thank you for sharing this, Laurna. I think you are getting at something very important: compassion becomes much harder when the wrongdoing is not theoretical but has actually cost us something.
Theft is not victimless simply because the person being robbed appears able to afford the loss. As you describe, there can be financial consequences, insurance problems, inconvenience, anxiety and a sense of violation that lasts far longer than the disappearance of the object itself.
At the same time, I think Jesus repeatedly pushes us to remain curious about the person behind the wrongdoing. What happened in someone’s life? What desperation, addiction, distorted thinking or circumstances might have brought them here? Understanding those things does not excuse the act, but it can stop us from reducing someone entirely to the word “thief.”
It is a tough area; perhaps that is where forgiveness and justice have to remain together. We can name what was wrong, seek accountability and protect others while still refusing to believe that the worst thing somebody has done is the whole truth about who they are.
That, for me, is one of the genuinely difficult things about Jesus. Mercy is much easier when it costs us nothing.
Funnily, I wrote my reply to your next comment before I saw your reply to this one. I am so blessed by your affirmation! You lift some of my burden with this affirmation!!!
What makes a thief? This week I have been challenged to forgive thefts from me and from people I know, but also to look into those thefts to see if something can be done about the mentally ill person I believe was involved in it and who probably had accomplices. I lost a gas-powered generator, never used, that cost me CAN$1035. A friend, who was lavishly gifted with gold jewelry when she was young, lost a necklace worth over US$5000 (a small part of her collection) for which her insurance company has rewarded her with less than US$700. My friend's young granddaughter, a young nursing student who tends women's nails as a side income, was robbed of several hundred dollars of manicure equipment from her car. A common thread running through these stories seems to be that the thieves think their thefts "justified" by the person they are stealing from being able to "afford" losing part of their means. They do not see a full financial picture of overwhelming debt or bitter lifetime losses or a struggle to make ends meet while getting an education. By the time the injured party has seen the police, an insurance company, or contemplated trying to replace the missing property, a further financial, time, and emotional burden has been incurred. I spent enough time on Facebook (thank you, Mark Zuckerberg) last night to put together the pieces of at least two families in tragic circumstances because the children had auditory problems affecting their ability to learn. While siblings were in college or other training, their opportunities had fizzled. Then, years blank of pictures when meth addictions set in to ruin the lovely smiles. I saw no signs of faith that might be a steadying influence, although one mother was working hard to celebrate family occasions, incapable of smiling. No sign of a father. Over those decades, I saw many signs of superficial values, such as an emphasis on appearance and style for the women, on mechanical power (cars, etc.) or trades for the men, and the occasional expensive holiday. Many people who cannot articulate their own values project them through captioned photos of pets or elaborate affirmations written by others that speak for their own longings. Pictures are worth thousands of words, but you get this picture so I won't go on. There is more to pity and to try to remediate in these thefts of property.
Thank you for sharing this, Laurna. I think you are getting at something very important: compassion becomes much harder when the wrongdoing is not theoretical but has actually cost us something.
Theft is not victimless simply because the person being robbed appears able to afford the loss. As you describe, there can be financial consequences, insurance problems, inconvenience, anxiety and a sense of violation that lasts far longer than the disappearance of the object itself.
At the same time, I think Jesus repeatedly pushes us to remain curious about the person behind the wrongdoing. What happened in someone’s life? What desperation, addiction, distorted thinking or circumstances might have brought them here? Understanding those things does not excuse the act, but it can stop us from reducing someone entirely to the word “thief.”
It is a tough area; perhaps that is where forgiveness and justice have to remain together. We can name what was wrong, seek accountability and protect others while still refusing to believe that the worst thing somebody has done is the whole truth about who they are.
That, for me, is one of the genuinely difficult things about Jesus. Mercy is much easier when it costs us nothing.
Funnily, I wrote my reply to your next comment before I saw your reply to this one. I am so blessed by your affirmation! You lift some of my burden with this affirmation!!!