Last month I had money stolen from me at school. It was $319, and it was money I was planning to deposit in the ministry's bank account. After viewing the video tapes, it was very clear who took the money. It was a boy from the house. The video also shows the boy give half the money to another boy from the house...so now two were involved. My heart was broken....the very boys we were working to help were stealing their own money from me.
When the house was contacted and the boys were confronted, the second boy immediately confessed....He knew the money was stolen, but he did not know from who (not that it should really matter-- but it did to him). A few other boys who they had split the money up with immediately went to their rooms to return their portion of the loot (they too, were not going to steal from Ms. Lindsay-- my heart healed a little). We were able to get back $110, we had a good long talk with the boys, and got heartfelt apologies from a few.
A few days later, a cop showed up at my class. There was the issue of pressing charges against the boys. Ryan and I talked about it and decided we did not want to do that. I got all kinds of reactions from that:
"You have too" I was told. By not pressing charges I was:
1. helping to create lifelong criminals
2. being accepting of their actions
3. not upholding the law
4. not teaching them a lesson
5. preventing them from getting the help they needed
Some of these things may or may not be true. Which ever the case, we chose to go with forgiveness.
The truth is, these kids already had a rap sheet a mile long, so one more slap on their wrist was not going to phase them. We chose to talk to them, show them the bigger picture, show them kindness and forgiveness, and let them know that there is a better way to live, and that there were people in their life who were not going to give up on them.
Did they listen...yes
Did it change things....no (the same boy was caught in another teacher's desk later the next week)
But did we change someone's heart in the process....I hope so.
A lot of people heard our message through this ordeal. We were able to preach forgiveness and redemption to all the boys and spread our beliefs though the staff at the house and to teachers and administrators at my school.
"If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen" Peter 4:11
Hopefully, when it was all said and done, someone had ears that could hear God's good news.
