Lessons learned

Some lessons are swifter and harder to learn than others. I learned a very valuable lesson this past weekend. Never take anything for granted. I unwisely left my car unlocked Saturday night and ended up losing my wallet and camera to thieves. One doesn't realize what you keep in your wallet until you have to start hunting numbers down to call and cancel and/or to call and report a theft. The thing that hurts the most was not the $$ but the camera. On that camera I had pictures of friends and maybe even family (not sure what I had or had not downloaded to the computer) - those are the priceless memories that can't be replaced. All other items can be replaced - the cards, the $, and even the camera itself but not the pictures. So you ask yourself....What did I learn? Well I learned:

• ALWAYS lock the car doors even when in your own driveway
• keep a record of all numbers and items in wallet
• keep serial numbers of electronic devices
• as silly as it seems - back that camera up on a weekly/daily basis

Material things can be replaced. I thank GOD that whoever decided to rob my car decided to just do my car and not the house. I was in the house and as selfish as it sounds could have been hurt.

The following verse has gotten me thru this and I hope in can help some of you:

Don't seek revenge or carry a grudge against any of your people. "Love your neighbor as yourself. I am God.” Leviticus 19:18 MSG

This is of course harder to do than what it seems, but I am thankful that I wasn't hurt, my dog wasn't hurt, and my car wasn't damaged - my pride however and sense of safety were compromised but I know that God will see me thru this.

In him I must trust completely (and of course the police who are investigating the crime) :)

David confirms this way of looking at it, saying that the one who trusts God to do the putting-everything-right without insisting on having a say in it is one fortunate man: Fortunate those whose crimes are carted off, whose sins are wiped clean from the slate. Fortunate the person against whom the Lord does not keep score. Do you think for a minute that this blessing is only pronounced over those of us who keep our religious ways and are circumcised? Or do you think it possible that the blessing could be given to those who never even heard of our ways, who were never brought up in the disciplines of God? We all agree, don't we, that it was by embracing what God did for him that Abraham was declared fit before God? (Romans 4:5 - 7 MSG)

Please learn from my mistakes and remember to trust in God completely in all areas of your life!!!