Stolen Goods

When I was 12 someone stole my 10-speed bicycle out of our back yard. When I was 14 someone ripped off my flute from the junior high band storage closet. I was outraged. I had mowed 30 lawns to earn enough money to buy that bicycle. My first reaction was to want to take someone else's bicycle and someone else's flute. It wasn't fair that a thief took my stuff. I wanted immediate revenge. Fortunately, my parents convinced me otherwise. And they helped me realize some important points.

• Victims aren't to blame. Sometimes kids who get robbed think God is punishing them for being bad. But help them see that anyone can become a victim. According to the U.S. Department of Justice teenagers are more likely to be victims of crimes than any other age group. And 99 percent of today's 12-year-olds will be victims of personal theft sometime during their lifetime.


• Crimes should be reported. Let the police know right away when a crime has been committed. Criminals do get caught and your junior highers may get their stolen merchandise back. Six months after my yellow bicycle was stolen the police returned my 10-speed freshly painted blue.


• God cares. It's easy for a junior higher to question why God would allow such a bad thing to happen. But help kids understand that people do bad things; God doesn't. And God is more powerful than thieves. Deuteronomy 3l:6 says: "Be strong and brave. Don't be afraid of them. Don't be frightened. The Lord your God will go with you. He will not leave you or forget you."