EXODUS 20:15
"Thou shalt not steal."
by Robin

This should seem like a no-brainer for most of us. Many times we see this in a material way and it is certainly applicable this way. However, this verse has been sticking in my head the past couple weeks since going over the 8th commandment in our Wed night Bible study.

We can steal so much more than material possessions. We can steal time, joy, reputations and so much more. I realize what I'm about to say may be controversial but I feel the need to express it.

Back in another generation, adoptions were kept very hush-hush. People did not know they were adopted many times until it was revealed accidentally by some unknowing family member. I had a cousin, and probably you did too, who was adopted and never knew about it until one very painful day when the truth was revealed.

The same was for Jack when he was 12. It was a shocker when he found out his adoptive Dad wasn't his biological Dad. He spent the next 20 years wishing to know his Dad and his ethnic background. Ironically, knowing his Dad didn't turn out to be as cheery as you see on Oprah or Dr. Phil but it still gave Jack a sense of security in self-esteem. Still, Jack missed out on a lifetime of knowing stories about his Dad and having time to create a bond - good or bad. Time had been stolen from him that can never be regained.

Because of Grandma Mary's funeral, something very good has happened. People are TALKING. People are coming together. A fractured family is no longer having the precious gift of time being stolen from them. Jack has two brothers that he's never met before.....

This week, there is a man (actually 2) out there, in his 30's, finding out for the first time in his life that he has a brother. Neither parent ever told him the truth about this legitimate, created in-wedlock, half brother of his. I will never understand what kept these adults from telling the truth. There is half a lifetime of time stolen from them getting to know each other.

In the Bible, there is a familiar truth that says what the devil meant for bad, God can use for good. What lies, shame and guilt did, God can undo. I am praying that when these brothers get together, they will make a solid, loving bond with each other. Time will no longer be stolen from them.

God has adopted us into His family with loving arms. And, we still love our earthly families. There is room in our hearts with love for both families. Time is a gift that can be stolen if we aren't careful. Between the holiday bustle or fractured families, don't let this happen to you.