A Shocking Conclusion

For more than a year residents around us have been worried about a string of robberies in our neighborhood.  Within a mile or so of our house, over 20 homes have been broken into and money and jewelry have been taken.  The robberies have happened at all hours of the day.  Some have happened while folks were outside of their homes working in their yards.  Some have happened while they were sleeping.  Most happened when they had gone away for a few hours or a few days.  Several times the robber was almost caught, but he had always gotten away.  Many of our neighbors purchased security systems.  Some added new locks.  We generally left lights on as well as the television or stereo when we were gone.  And then one night the robber made a mistake.  Somebody heard glass breaking and they called the police.  The police found the robber but he again escaped when he told them that  there were others in the house.  Fortunately the police had noticed a car parked in the area and apparently had recorded the license number.  And shortly they were able to find the address and take the robber prisoner at his home.  But that wasn't the end of the story.  His home is only about two blocks from ours.  He wasn't an unknown college kid or a teen druggie as many had suspected.  He was a 49 year old resident who was well known by most of the community.  In fact he was a former student of mine and he graduated and played athletics with one of my sons.  He had been a soccer coach at two area high schools and had won Coach of the Year four times.  People knew him as a friendly man who would often carry his three-legged Chihuahua, Buddy, and talk to the neighbors as they passed.  He lived with his mother.  Neighbors had confided in him their fears and asked him to watch their homes when they were aware.  People are shocked and that is putting it mildly.  Police took two truckloads of loot out of his home after finding thousands of items in his basement, bedroom and attic.  These included jewelry, coins, guns and sports memorabilia.  He had sterling silver pieces that had people's initials engraved on them.  He robbed so many houses that he does not remember specifically which ones he robbed.  Now the police did find some heroin and marijuana in his home but  they believe that this was just part of the problem.  He told the police that he was getting a thrill out of it.  He was surprised at how easy it was to get into these homes.  Like all of our neighbors, we are relived that the thief has finally been caught.  But we are shocked that it was somebody we knew. I guess we never know what is really in a person's heart.  I am reminded again that the scripture tells us that the heart is desperately wicked and who can know it.  The answer is that God is the one who knows our heart and our thoughts and our actions.  And we should not be deceived for God is not mocked and whatever a man sows that is what he will reap.  My hope is that somehow Laz will hear and accept the Gospel while he spends his future days in prison.