Hello ,
Here's an article I penned a number of years ago. I hope that it will bless you today.
I recently discovered a news story about an unnamed teen who learned the hard way, that crime doesn't pay.
Police in the central Illinois town of Roodhouse, said the teen became pinned under a tombstone after tipping it over during a vandalism spree at a local cemetery. Authorities said it took four firefighters to lift a 600-pound gravestone off the 16-year-old boy's leg after he helped knock over that headstone and dozens of others. 1
The story went on to explain that the teen and several companions had knocked over some 40 tombstones and caused an estimated $10,000 in damages during their cemetery rampage.
I have to admit that when I first read the story, I was caught between two emotions. First, I was angry to think that someone would find pleasure in causing destruction and mayhem in such a place. This cemetery no doubt holds the fallen tears of thousands of grieving people, and to desecrate the markers of those who have been laid to rest in such a hapless and unfeeling way is reprehensible.
Second, I found myself feeling somewhat sorry for the young man pinned under the grave stone. We all make mistakes, even stupid ones at times, and his mistake caught the attention of an entire country. His act of vandalism will haunt him for quite some time.
You Can Run, But You Can't Hide
There's a spiritual lesson in his story for us all. Namely, that sin always catches up with us. Even the Bible backs up this reality in at least two verses.
"...you can be sure that your sin will track you down" (Numbers 32:23).
"Don't be mislead: No one makes a fool of God. What a person plants, he will harvest" (Galations 6:7).
In modern day vernacular these verses basically say, "What goes around, comes around." If we choose to continue living under the lie of, "It's O.K. to do whatever we want, nobody will know," we're only kidding ourselves. Sin will always catch up with us. The good news is though, there is always hope through Christ.
Have a great day and God bless!
Pastor Mike The Open Word
