TheDevilYou Say.
Perhaps you have heard the devil made me do it. Wimpy excuse you may think. A weak personality. Perhaps, but let’s give this appellant the benefit of the doubt for a few moments.
Another’s money is within easy reach. No one is around to stop you or see that you are the culprit. You’ve gone to church. You know, thou shall not steal, but you take the money anyway. Now if the sticky-fingered-person happens to be a kid in the candy store who sees the store owner looking the other way and takes a couple of chocolate bars, you might be willing to take it easy on the little thief. Immature kid, you may rationalize. How about a late-teen thief, an almost-adult person? They know better. Where’s their black-and-white morality?
Maybe this questionable action is more than a theft-action. Maybe this person who is about to lose their money deserves to lose it. They’re the one who has caused someone a great deal of pain. Stealing their money is like punishment.
Stealing their money is revenge. But you’ve gone to church. You know, vengeance is mine says the Lord.You take the money. At the moment, you feel a sense of justice.
In the spiritual-worldview-battle, one can easily see that the person’s actions above are not following the will of God. God looks to bring reconciliation between him and His children and among His people. Creating peace on earth or heaven on earth involves people loving not harming each other. Seeing the devil’s tempting action suck someone into going against God’s will can be seen as a battle won by the devil.
Would the devil strive for this? Of course. He wants to win. Even more, he wants another opportunity to foist his hell on his victim. The devil now has even more power over this susceptible person. Guilt can be used to convince this sinner that he or she is no good. They are a bad, even a despicable person. Enjoy a foretaste of hell you luckless body.
Going too far? This is unreal? People have free will. Do they? Research has shown that some people’s body’s chemistry leaves them more susceptible to the effects of alcohol. In the first two steps for people in Alcoholics Anonymous, there’s an admission that one is powerless (over alcohol), and they believe in a power greater than themselves.
In my novel, Baggage burdens., Jill is the teenage thief. Her motive was understandable revenge. She has gone to church. She knows she was wrong, but she buries that guilt. When her fury against Greg cools, she experiences fear. Greg is a vengeful person. Her hell heats up. She leaves Ontario and moves to Alberta. Now Greg will never find me. Two years later her confidence is shaken. An Ontario detective is looking for her in Camrose, Alberta. The fire of fear forces her into another action she comes to regret––for a sense of safety she marries a man she doesn’t love. The time before, fear drove her to run away from her loving grandmother. Her guilt convinces her she’s a bad person, undeserving of love. It would seem the devil has won. He has made her his victim. She has a life of hell on earth.
When Jill lets go of Bill’s hand, he asks, “So what is bothering you about this Dave?”
The only thing Jill knows is that Dave is or should be angry with her. The moment she asks herself why, she sucks in a deep breath like someone hit her in the stomach.
Three hundred dollars! I stole it! I stole it from Dave! From Dave and Greg! Greg! Oh no.
“Okay. Now I know. I’ve touched a tender tooth. Out with it. You know there should be no secrets between the two of us. Whatever bothers you, bothers me. Together, we’ll handle the problem.” Bill puts his hand on either shoulder and turns Jill to completely face him.
With tears of embarrassment, she whispers, “I’m a thief.”
Bill draws her close to him and holds her until he feels she has quit crying. He eases his hold on her and waits for her to explain her remark. Her prolonged silence prompts him to ask, “What happened?”
As if picking at an old scab, Jill slowly reveals the least-threatening portion of her secret. “I stole three hundred dollars from Dave and his brother, Greg.”
Jill waits for a reaction, as if she’s waiting to see some blood pour out from the edge of an opened scab. Hearing no hint of judgment from Bill, she continues, “They deserved it. It was a punishment.”
There is hope for Jill. It comes through her friend, Bill. He re-introduces her to Jesus, the one who accepts her and loves her no matter how undeserving she thinks she is.
Jill’s words give Bill more reason to pause. “Have you addressed your prayers to Jesus?”
“What difference would that make?”
“Do you believe he died?”
“Yes.”
“So we can be forgiven and go to heaven?”
“Yes.”
“Doesn’t that sound like he is loving, he is caring?”
Jill catches Bill’s emphasis on he. She crosses her arms in front, feeling exposed. Guessing that Bill has figured out that she doesn’t trust males in general. It’s more than she intends to reveal. Bill’s eyes focus on her. Remembering his question, she nods.
“So you could pray to Jesus?”
haiku capsule:
a claim––not my fault,
the devil made me do it.
manipulated
Nextblog: A Model’s Power.
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