What Happened to My Stuff?!!

Sometimes my travel on behalf of Wheat Ridge Ministries can be more interesting than I’d like it to be.  A couple weeks ago, I was in Texas and had a flat tire on my rental car in the middle of a rain storm.  I learned that these days, many rental cars, at least of the size I rent, don’t come equipped with spare tires.  Imagine my surprise to discover a little “emergency repair kit” in the trunk where I assumed the spare would be!

Just a week later while I was in California, something occurred that was a much bigger deal.  While enjoying a lovely dinner and conversation with a great friend of Wheat Ridge, someone broke a window in my rental car and took my suitcase and my computer bag.  Yes, the computer bag held my laptop, iPad, a variety of cords and accessories, and even my phone charger.  What to do?!  Police were called.  I made a late night run to the rental car agency to change cars.  Fortunately, my friend Mary located a phone charger in her house that worked for my phone, which was about to run out of power. 

As I attempted to do damage control, I was caught up in a variety of reactions – denial, fear, frustration, anger – as I tried to consider all that I needed to do to recover from this situation.  I worried about whether there was anything on my computer or iPad that would compromise my identity, bank accounts, etc.  Had I saved my recent work documents to our server?  (Of course not!)  Where was I going to find clothes, etc., for the remainder of my trip?  If you’ve experienced a theft or robbery, I’m sure you asked similar questions.

Of course, things eventually worked out.  I found a Target store the next morning and after 15 minutes of “power shopping,” I rounded up necessities for the rest of the trip.  Our Wheat Ridge tech guru helped me get all of my passwords changed.  Another shopping spree after returning home got me back up and running with clothes, a new computer, etc.  And, insurance claims are being filed that should pay for most of the stolen items.

In the big picture, this incident was not that big of a deal.  I have been incredibly fortunate that thus far in my life I have not been the victim of a more serious crime than this.  I have never experienced the significant loss of property that so many people do through crime, accident or natural disaster.  There are millions of people around the world for whom the concept of “personal security” has an entirely different context than what I take for granted every day.  Many live in neighborhoods plagued by high levels of crime and violence.  Others have no place to call home and sleep on the street or in whatever shelter they can find.  Still others live with the reality that their basic human rights are not respected, or they are forced to leave their homes and seek refuge due to war or terrorism.

It’s wonderful to know that we have a God who is with us and cares for us, especially when we experience the parts of life that remind us that we live in a broken world.  Among the gifts God provides during these times in our life are other people who care about and for us.  Our seeding ministry at Wheat Ridge regularly brings us into relationship with these special people.  Thank God for our police and fire fighters, for leaders and volunteers of disaster relief efforts, for those who provide emergency and long term shelter, those who help refugees resettle in safe places, those who gather and distribute food, water and clothing, those who provide medical care, and those who tend to the psychological and emotional needs of those who experience crime and personal tragedy.  And, thank God for those whose generosity provides the financial and material support needed for this important work. 

Be well as you experience the love of Christ through the good times and the bad.  Thank you for all that you do share the healing hands of Christ with others in need!