11/20/12 PRAISE WHEN WE LOSE
I was thinking about the terrible cost of being robbed. Oh, not the monetary cost. Sometimes people steal things that have little or no material value to them, but are irreplaceable to the victim, like photos, mementos, awards, correspondence, documents. The thief steals, discards and blithely goes on to his next victim. The victim may also suffer actual physical loss, relational trauma, broken dreams.
This is also true of the person who robs people of love, relationship, trust. The users in life will take from those who are closest to them and then blame the victims.
Parents lose children to selfishness, anger, jealousy, resentment, greed.
Families are decimated by individuals who rob them of their unity, dignity, strength.
The thief is so bankrupt of personal value that he/she has no remorse for the suffering they inflict on others.
Repentance is good step in the right direction to reconciliation. If this would happen, there would be much more to give thanks for this week.
