Read James lately?

As I am reading in James this morning in chapter 1, I get to James 1:9 Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. I have usually done fairly well in this area until last Tuesday. I came home to find that my house had been broken into and many of my personal belongings were gone. This is not the first time I had been ripped off. So it was very hard to take. I have to tell you there was no slow to speak and quick listen, I was pissed! I was angry! I stayed angry for two and half days. I hoped that they would come back so I could put them in the hospital. Not very Christ like behavior. My wife on the other hand was slow to speak quick to listen and did not get angry. She looked at me and said it's just stuff. Now as the dust of this experience has settled I feel in my heart that I am walking with forgiveness to the people who broke into my house. Understand that to forgive them doesn't mean what they did was okay it just means I have chosen to not let that situation control me anymore. I wonder how I would react if they knocked on my door and brought my stuff back? Would I still turn them in or would I be Jesus with skin on. I would hope that I would be Jesus with skin on. So this is what the Lord has shown me for today.

 

 

If nothing changes

Then nothing changes

Isaiah 43

Isaiah 43:1 But now thus says the LORD, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.

 

Well it has been one week since my house was broken into. I think I have gone through every single kind of emotion that there is. What is the good that has come from this invasion? Forgiveness? Not the first couple of days, the first couple days were anger and resentment, hatred, why Kelly and myself, why were we chosen? We may never know the answer to that question. As I watched my wife remain calm I was very angry. Now I can truly say that I have peace and forgiveness in my heart. Kelly made a statement to me. She said "it's just stuff." Everything that was stolen can and will get replaced. So what is the good that came out of this? Several of my friends have checked their insurance policies and now they have the proper coverage for their jewelry. That will prevent the same type of loss from happening that happened to us. My home is now protected by an alarm system. The alarm company that I hired said that 87% of all people who have called them, called them after they had been broken into not before. The sad thing about this whole ordeal is I should have had video surveillance installed three years ago when my saw was stolen out of my garage on a Saturday afternoon. I was too cheap to spend $350. Had I had done that I would've had the perpetrators on video. Tuesday morning when I walked into the master bathroom I remember seeing my wife's wedding ring in the little tray. I remember thinking if my house got broken into these rings would be stolen, and then I finished brushing my teeth and didn't give it another thought. So was that Holy Spirit warning me or was it just a passing thought? Sometimes it is hard to discern what my voice is and what is Holy Spirit's.

So I will leave you with this thought. Have you called your insurance company to make sure you have the correct coverage because if you don't and you get burglarize then it is on you.

Walk in peace and forgiveness today!