To steal or not to steal that is the question.

What is stealing? Is it shoplifting. Is it cheating on your taxes? Is it taking pencils home from the office for the kids? Is it doing personal things on company time? Is it keeping something that you have found without trying to find who owns it. Not returning material to the library. Taking fruit off the trees that are not on your property? Is it switching labels on something so you pay less for it? Is it not tithing?

I suppose it depends a lot on how you want to see it. So, what's the big deal?
They have so much, they won't miss it.
Everybody does it.
Their insurance will reimburse them.
I'm just trying to feed my family.
I deserve it.
They don't deserve it.
I'll show them.
They'll never notice.
Buyer beware.
The government just wastes our money anyway.
You gotta do, what you gotta do.
It will make me "cool".

And that makes it alright. NOT!

I'm not quite sure when I finally understood it. Simple... if its not yours and you use or abuse or take it or keep it without permission - that is stealing. It's so hard to not break that one simple rule. We can change, and it is an essential to change the way we look at things. Part of the journey.

We have choices, if we choose to steal, in any of its forms, we will have to take responsibility for anything that happens as a consequence to the people/institution from whom we stole as well as bear the weight of the sin for our behavior.

Whether one believes in God or just believes what goes around comes around or just doesn't care one way or the other, there is a consequence. Sadly, we may not pay for it at the time, perhaps we first have to watch our children, who learned from us, as they reap the harsh but inevitable consequences.

If we love our children, we will do everything in our power to protect them from being hurt... so it doesn't make sense to teach them behavior which will ultimately harm them. Sadly, I've watched mothers use their children to shoplift, I can't even imagine what the future holds for most of them. Even sadder is that I will not let certain members of my own family stay in a room alone. The nails on the cross are not safe around them.

Trying to bring this around to love. If you love God, you will eventually love yourself enough to find the courage to change, and the love and the power to encourage others to change. Love really is the key.