Shoplifting at Wal-Mart?

Wish it wasn’t true… but I stole something today… well, sort-of.

I didn’t mean to. But I still did it.

Tamara and I had just gotten a new key cut for her apartment in Monroe so that I could come and go while she was at work. I didn’t want to lose the key by placing it in the shopping cart. I didn’t want to put it in her purse, well, quite frankly because I think small children could get lost in there. So I decided to put it in my pocket. Surely I wouldn’t forget it then… there’s no way I would just walk out with the key in my pocket and forget to pay…. whoops!

But, sure enough, as we were driving away, I realized I had the key in my pocket and hadn’t paid for it. I mean, it only cost $1.51, but I seriously had this lump in my throat.

I told Tamara that I should really go back and pay for it– to which, of course, she agreed. We went back to the apartment (since Tamara had to be at work shortly thereafter) and then I drove back to Wal-Mart about an hour later on my way back to Shreveport.

I went back to the automotive department, but the line was too long. I really didn’t know if I should say something, leave some money… confess my “crime” or what. But I wound up simply paying for the key in the electronics department, since every line was packed out and I was sort of in a hurry.

While I’m sure many of you have experienced something similar to this, I was really bothered by the whole event. I wasn’t mad because I walked out with a key without paying for it. I was more upset at the fact that I listened to the conviction of the Holy Spirit for this “sin”, but have NO problem drowning out his voice over more crippling sins in my life.

Something struck me while I was debating this little fiasco.

Would my desire to rid myself of habitual sins be greater if I knew I could get “caught” or exposed like shoplifting?

I think we rationalize too much. At least I do.

The truth is that my personal holiness and integrity does matter in the SMALL things. I will go as far as to say… that the SMALL things matter most. Most of us don’t struggle with what we consider “big” sins. It’s the pesky attitudes, the greed, the thoughts of jealousy that plague us. We all (especially me!) must stop categorizing the “size” of our sin and start being grieved over the fact that it is there! God has called us to holiness. Perfection we cannot achieve on this Earth, but we should still daily strive to be holy!

It may have been just a cheap little key, but it was still right for me to return and pay. I know I could have easily justified how “out of the way” it was for me to return to Wal-Mart, wait in line, over a dumb key. But something stirred inside of me.

I want that stirring more and more. I want to not only be convicted over sins that I may consider “little” in my life, but understand that I have to “put off” the old life and “put on” the new.

Studying and preaching on the topic of God’s holiness and my personal responsibility has only heightened my desire to listen to the Spirit. I pray the same for you. May we all be more sensitive to hear the voice of God calling us to holiness in ALL things, especially the small things.

I was reminded of a valuable lesson from a $1.51 apartment key.

~ by crosseyedministries on July 8, 2009.