Tuesday, November 29, 2016
Robbed By a Gang in Broad Daylight
There were three of them.
They were powerfully built and white. In hindsight I can see that I was
clearly outnumbered and really didn’t stand a chance. These gang members were all younger, more
agile and definitely more aggressive than I am.
Their assault left me feeling cheated and vulnerable. The attack was completely unprovoked and
unexpected.
It all happened toward the end of summer. My wife and I were enjoying a rare day off by
the beach. We felt safe, as we meandered
down a famous boardwalk not far from the Big Apple. We had just enjoyed a hamburger at an outdoor
cafe. The boardwalk was not crowded, but there were quite a few people milling
around the vicinity. I felt safe. Since
I was guessing it to be one of the last warm days of the year, I was
contentedly devouring a double scoop ice cream cone. I had eaten most of the ice cream and had
begun to take pity on the sugar cone when I was viciously attacked.
My only warning came from my wife who suddenly looked my
direction and blurted out my name. Immediately I caught movement out of the
corner of my eye. The first gang member
came at me from behind - over my left shoulder.
He knocked my half-eaten ice cream cone out of my hand. Before I had a chance to even absorb what had
just been done, two other gang members swooped down, snatched the cone and ice
cream off the pavement and flew off to find their next victim.
When it was over we laughed. My loss was less than two dollars. But the experience did get me thinking; with
seagulls that aggressive, how was a person supposed to eat an ice cream cone
without being robbed. I was not luring
the birds, nor was I giving them easy access. I was safely holding my cone just
a foot or so from my mouth. Would
someone need to cup their hand over the ice cream, or hunch over the tasty dessert
in order to protect it? I suddenly felt
at risk and life didn’t seem fair.
That is when my mind wandered to a much more serious
issue. So many people have been hurt,
robbed or abused in ways far more serious than I had just experienced. The emotions and thoughts that ensue from a
tragedy, a serious assault or years of abuse have left millions of people
feeling unsafe, devalued, vulnerable and afraid. This is the result of mankind ignoring God’s
counsel and allowing things like greed and selfishness to drive them to hurt,
abuse and steal from their fellow man. They
rob them of far more than money or innocence.
Our world is reeling from the effects of selfishness and sin. How can a person find peace and joy in such a
world?
Jesus warned us that the world would be like this and that
it would actually get worse and worse. But, He also promised that He would fill
those who would believe in Him with the love and power necessary to live fulfilled
lives in a broken world - even when robbed and abused. Are you feeling vulnerable… alone… hurt? You may be surprised to discover that a relationship
with Jesus can change all that. He is
not offering you religion; He is offering you a relationship that will change
you from the inside out. He also offers eternal life in a place where no one
steals, abuses or hurts anyone.
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