Giving & Taking

Had my brand-new rain gear stolen from the office the other day. After a wet early morning commute I hung it up on the coat rack to dry and later went out to have coffee with a member. When I got back to the office it was gone ... no doubt an impulsive grab & go crime of opportunity.

I have been robbed several times in my life; once it was a new coat (not yet completely paid for), another time some equipment from my back yard, but the weirdest was my car radio. I got a call around 4 AM that a parishoner had been in a bad accident and was not going to make it. I jumped into the car, put it into gear and headed off for the hospital. Trying to wake myself up I reached down to turn on the radio and found myself reaching into an empty dash instead. The worst part is that at the time I had a Schnauzer that barked at everyone and everything - mailman, parishoners, small children on bicycles, old people with canes, flies - you name it. But the lousy mutt slept through the great radio rip off. Worthless bag of bones ...

Anyway, I must admit that my first thought was "Somebody is going to die." Not exactly the most spiritual response but typically human and pretty much what I have thought every time I have been ripped off. But in each instance afer my temperature dropped my faith climbed; for me to lose a coat or a radio or rain gear is a real pain-in-the-ass, but not the end of the world. When I lost the coat I was cold for a few days and now I will be wet for a few days - not exactly Armegeddon. I won't say that it does not aggrevate me to need to replace the gear, but the truth is that I have a warm home in which to dry off, a loving wife and family to embrace, a job I love and good friends with whom to whine (and wine). My life is pretty darn good. Faith reminds me that I must never confuse temporary inconvenience with authentic loss.

Some folks are cold and wet every day with little option for changing the situation and while I do not condone theft, I do know that when we are miserable we commit acts that might otherwise be alien to our behavior. Thus I choose to affirm that the act was inappropriate but the need great, shrugged off my loss, got on the internet and ordered some new gear and am grateful that I can afford to stay dry on a rainy day.

But in the midst of this I struggle with a far more important question; my faith tradition states that if someone takes your coat you should give them your shirt as well. So I wonder: What if the person who took my rain pants had just looked me in the eye and asked me for those pants, would I have given him my coat as well? Would I have had the authentic courage of my convictions and walked the walk, or would I have said something preacherly like "I'll pray for you" which is a lovely sentiment but does nothing to actually reduce suffering at the moment? Would I have voluntarily chosen to be inconvenienced for just a short moment to help another person, as my faith demands?

Of what value is faith if it does not cost us a little bit now and then?

I think I'll head out and take a ride in the rain ... it will remind me how lucky I am.