Pennsylvania

The year after our son got married, his new in-laws invited all of us to Pennsylvania for Thanksgiving. We flew out there and had a wonderful Thanksgiving meal and a several day visit of the area.

We all flew home together and landed back in Kansas City by early evening. We got our luggage and loaded it into my vehicle and decided to stop at a restaurant to grab a bite to eat. The main luggage was in the covered bed of my truck while we left backpacks and bags in the cab of the locked truck. 

In the 30 - 40 minutes we were in the restaurant, as we were told by the police, an organized gang went through several vehicles in what they described as a smash and grab technique. They broke the rear window of my cab and grabbed what they could in a few seconds before moving on to the next victim. After the shock wore off and we were waiting for the police to arrive, I remembered that I could track my iPad that had been nabbed with my backpack and, when the police arrived, I shared this info. 

We found out that they had taken the grabbed stuff to a trucking distribution parking lot to sort through the stuff to pick out what they thought could be resold without risk. For example, they took my headphones in my backpack but threw out the backpack with the iPad still in it (the police said it could not be sold without risk of apprehension). My nativity was changed that day in regards to professional groups of robbers.

All the cars robbed were in parking lots with many other cars so the robbers had to pick which ones to hit. I truly believe mine was picked because they could look into the window and see the backpacks and other bags we had left in the cab. Ironically they didn’t rob the luggage back there, even though it was covered but not locked.

“At that time Merodach-baladan the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent envoys with letters and a present to Hezekiah, for he heard that he had been sick and had recovered. And Hezekiah welcomed them gladly. And he showed them his treasure house, the silver, the gold, the spices, the precious oil, his whole armory, all that was found in his storehouses. There was nothing in his house or in all his realm that Hezekiah did not show them. Then Isaiah the prophet came to King Hezekiah, and said to him, “What did these men say? And from where did they come to you?” Hezekiah said, “They have come to me from a far country, from Babylon.” He said, “What have they seen in your house?” Hezekiah answered, “They have seen all that is in my house. There is nothing in my storehouses that I did not show them.” Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the Lord of hosts: Behold, the days are coming, when all that is in your house, and that which your fathers have stored up till this day, shall be carried to Babylon. Nothing shall be left, says the Lord. And some of your own sons, who will come from you, whom you will father, shall be taken away, and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.” Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “The word of the Lord that you have spoken is good.” For he thought, “There will be peace and security in my days.” - Isaiah 39:1-8 ESV

Let’s face it, we live in a sinful world.  As much as we want to believe we are protected from people bound to commit evil sin against us, we will never be safe until we are in heaven with God.  If we learn the lessons God gave us in his word, we may be able to help ourselves a little.