A Confession Of Stealing

A CONFESSION OF STEALING

Jack removes the envelope from the small pile of mail and draws in a deep breath. It is from his former employer. He has lost sleep waiting for it. What he is about to read could lead to his exoneration or to imprisonment.

He had written to this man two weeks ago, confessing that he had stolen money from the cash deposits he drove to the bank each day as part of his job. After he received Jesus Christ, he felt that confession and offer of restitution was the only thing to do.

He was taking a huge risk. Should the company decide to prosecute, it could have grave consequences for his family. As a full-time student with a part-time job and a family to care for, there was no way he could afford an attorney if they chose to prosecute.

If they were to sue him for the entire amount, that would put his family out of house, home and seminary. He proceeded to send the letter anyway. Now Jack calls to his wife, Pat, and asks her to come into the kitchen. When she sees the envelope, she nervously goes to the sink and begins washing dishes because that's how Pat works off nervousness. "Could Jack really go off to jail?"

Slipping his thumb under the flap, Jack slowly tears the envelope open. He pulls out a single sheet of paper, pausing only for a second as he considers the possible outcome of his confession. He begins reading aloud to Pat. "Dear Jack, Thank you for your letter indicating your actions while in our employ. The figures from the deposits were adjusted by our accounting department and there is no need to address this matter further. We appreciate your sincerity."

[From a sermon by Ovidiu Radulescu, Thou Shall Be Content (8), 4/25/2011]