This is a lesson about stealing.
Back many years ago, when I was but a young 19, I worked at a gas station. Usually I worked the early morning shift or the day shift, but once in a while they would have me close the store. That’s where the trouble started. This gas station wasn’t in the best section of town and the people I worked with weren’t exactly citizens of upright standing. Whenever you closed the store for the night you had to count the money for your shift and if you were over or under by a lot you would get in trouble because you either overcharged customers or didn’t charge enough. One particular evening we had $40 too much money in the register so the guy I was working with said we should each just take $20 then the register would balance and all would be okay. I felt uncomfortable about this but I was more of the type that went along with the flow so I said okay, took the money and went home.
The next morning I woke up, my parent’s had already gone to work so I had the house to myself. This is important to note – my parents house is out in the country on a dead end road with only a few houses. People don’t come out there unless they have a reason to.
As I was making my breakfast I heard a knocking sound. I looked out and there was a county sheriff standing at our front door. I nearly passed out. What is he doing here? How did they find out I took the $20? What’s going to happen? Am I going to lose my job? Am I going to go to jail? I was panicked, but I calmly went to the door, said hello and asked what he needed. It turned out he was lost and was trying to find a certain road. I gave him directions and he went on his way not knowing what his presence had done to me. I knew that it wasn’t coincidence that he showed up at my door, God had led him there to scare me and teach me a lesson – stealing is not okay!
I went back to work later in the afternoon and waited to see if anyone said anything about missing money but no one did. I took the $20 and just left it on the counter when I left for the day so they had their money back but in a way that it didn’t mess up the next person running the register. I’ve never forgotten that day and how scared I was and what a good life lesson that was. Stealing isn’t really a temptation that I’m drawn to but I don’t think I could ever steal anything again anyway because I never want to see a cop knocking on my door again!
Around the world in 30 years 