Our two boys spent an afternoon one summer with a bunch of friends at a local go-cart track and games pavilion. The oldest drove our old Mitsubishi Montero, a car I loved. The SUV ran really well, went everywhere in the snow, and was already beat up so I didn’t worry about teenagers denting anything.
While the kids enjoyed their afternoon, two other local teenagers practiced their craft of breaking into cars in the parking lot. They stole stuff from several vehicles, damaging each in the process. They hit our Montero, getting some CDs and change from the console. But the major bummer was they broke in by shoving a screwdriver into the doorlocks, tearing up both.
The two thieves where quickly caught—breaking into cars at a popular hang-out in broad daylight didn’t help their escape. After filing a report, a few weeks later I heard from the judge. I sent in the bills for replacing the locks, and the judge ordered the two boys to pay the costs, plus extra for the time and hassle I spent getting the car fixed.
He ordered restitution—a biblical concept.
The Lord said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites: ‘Any man or woman who wrongs another in any way and so is unfaithful to the Lord is guilty and must confess the sin they have committed. They must make full restitution for the wrong they have done, add a fifth of the value to it and give it to the person they have wronged.‘”
Over time, the boys who broke into my car paid me back every dollar I spent on the locks and then some. I got checks every 6 weeks for about a year. The culprits paid everyone back, and learned a valuable lesson (either crime costs you more than you receive, or avoid breaking into cars in broad daylight).
A lesson also played out within me. My attitude towards the young men who smashed my locks changed. I forgave much easier as they paid me back for their misdeeds. I rooted for them to learn and make better decisions in the future.
Their steady payments of restitution moved me from adversary to ally.
I have no idea where these young men are today. But I hope they benefited from their run-in with a wise judge applying biblical concepts.
Numbers 5 in reading the Bible cover to cover in 2022
Photo on Unsplash
Was that the car with the handy rollover indicator? Great car.
I loved that tiltometer.