Last night when we came home, I heard the high pitched voice of my wife cry out to me – “Jerome, there is a huge scorpion in front of our bed!" Now these little guys are not the easiest to squash when planted on the carpet. So after a number of thumps with one of my slippers, it was destroyed. Still thinking about what we learn from moments like this.
Then this evening, upon arriving home, as I open the front door, I hear sounds from the back of the house. Noticing the screen door cocked open (which we completely closed before we left the house), I walked as briskly through the house looking in every room (imagine how fast that really was while still healing from surgery.) No one was in the house. But as I investigated the latch to the back screen door all twisted, I noticed foot prints on the back patio (just happened to be raining) and then noticed the screens pulled away from the windows and one window broken as the robber(s) were trying to enter in without going through the front door. (Reminding me of the words of Jesus, “the shepherd enters through the gate, but robbers climb up some other way” John 10:1-2). They did not make it into the house. Lynda called the police and the police took plenty of pictures, dusted for fingerprints and wrote up a report. Love the officers we met this evening (Officer Marin and Paul) and was able to watch their investigation like what they do on TV but without any commercials. Praying for them as they protect our neighborhoods. My son-in-law just happened to come by to fix a florescent light in our laundry room and hung around to make door and window stoppers. We have so much fun working on small projects.
If the robbers do come back, they have the gospel waiting for them written on the broken window. We are praying for them to come to Jesus. If they do, then they would forsake such a sorry way to live. So we will wait to see what the Lord has in all of this.
Odd times like this reminded me of all Paul went through (and way so much more than we ever experience today) as he made it his life’s aim to take the Gospel of Jesus Christ into all of the world. 2 Cor. 11:24-29 (must read in full context)…in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness…
It would be worth it all for one(s), who tried breaking into our house, to come to know the LORD. And we now have a few more people we can pray for that we would never had thought of – Officer Martin and Paul, the robber or robbers, the folks who work with our insurance, our neighbor (whose house also was vandalized) and for each of you – for we know not what tomorrow may bring, but we trust the Lord Jesus who brings about all things to work our for good and to the glory of His Father. (Romans 8:26-30 – love these verses for they sum up our everyday odd times experiences and shows us the great opportunities that we are facing.)
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Just a side note – My good buddy, Ron (he is a brother from another mother), just reminded me about how our mom would leave the doors unlocked at our old house back in C-burg (she is now in heaven where the gates our opened wide to all who love Him and shut to those who reject Him). She felt if they needed something that bad… come in and take it and leave without damaging the house, but stay long enough to hear the good news that Jesus can save you from that wretched lifestyle. Jesus desires none to perish, even the thieves who try to break into houses (and sometimes succeed). Jesus demonstrated His desire that none perish by saying to the thief on the Cross – “Today, you will be with me in paradise.” So that gets me to think of another message to include on that broken window of our house…
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