A Christian family in Missouri decided to stand by their faith and walk in love towards a thief who stole two leaf blowers from their home on Sunday.
It’s not easy to forgive those who hurt us but the Bible tells us that if we forgive those who hurt us then God will forgive us also (Matthew 6:14-15).
Jennifer Collier was feeling upset but as a firm believer in Christ, she decided to show kindness towards the thief after he stole the items from the family’s garage before he fled the scene.
The entire act was caught on cameras installed on the property, but homeowner Jennifer said, “The greatest commandment in the Bible is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, your mind, your soul,” she said. “Second commandment directly following that is to love your neighbor as yourself.”
Wanting to share the love of Christ that these verses speak of, she and her family have come up with a deal for the thief, he must return the leaf blowers to them and pick up a Bible they left for him on the front porch.
Speaking about the unique gift they wanted to give him, Jennifer said, “I left a Bible for you on my front porch,” wearing a “Love Like Jesus” shirt during a media interview, she said, “If you want to return what you took, it’s there for you because the things that you took, that’s not going to make you happy.”
Jennifer said that they were leaving the Bible on the porch for as long as the man took to return the items. The robbery was an “irritating” experience for her and her family, but they wanted to show him Christ-like forgiveness instead of anger.
Sharing a post about the incident on Facebook, Jennifer wrote, “None of us are perfect, not even me,” she addressed the man in the post. “We all mess up and do things we shouldn’t. It’s not too late to make it right.”
Jennifer even opened up that she would not have him arrested if he chose to return, “If you see this and would like to return what you took from us, there will be no questions asked,” she wrote in the post saying she’s praying for him. “Simply put back the two leaf blowers on my front porch.”
To the fine young man that stole from us this evening:
If you see this and would like to return what you took from us, there will be no questions asked. Simply put back the two leaf blowers on my front porch.
I do want to personally thank you for not taking my purse that you stepped over to get to the leaf blowers. That really saved me a great deal of time and headache. What a mess that would have caused.
Lastly, I’m praying for you. Whatever it is you’re looking for in life to make you happy, I can guarantee there is no living person or thing that will fill that void. If you’d like to know more, there will be a Bible on my front porch for you if you chose to return what you stole. None of us are perfect, not even me. We all mess up and do things we shouldn’t. It’s not too late to make it right.
It was nice to meet you sir.
Best wishes.
Posted by Jennifer Collier on Sunday, 8 May 2022
What would be your reaction if someone stole from you? Would you put on a Christ-like attitude like Jennifer or would you use the camera footage to catch the thief and put him behind bars.
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