What a lesson God taught me!! Take it from me, when God is trying to tell you something, DO NOT ignore Him!!
We had our company Christmas party & gifts were given out randomly. I got some horrible xBox game that I really did not want. I wasn't really sure what I wanted out of the gifts, obviously the bigger & more expensive the better. Didn't really matter what. I was greedy.
A lady from work won a gift worth over $120. I offered to trade her my $60 game for her $120 gift. I felt guilty, but I was playing it off. She's a sweetheart, and didn't want her gift anyways, so she switched me. Even as I was offering to trade, I knew I was not going to keep her gift, but was gonna return it for the $ and get something else. I didn't tell her that.
As soon as we left the party, my conscience was eating away at me. But I kept trying to tell myself that it really was OK. The lady accepted. I didn't make her. BUT deep down, I knew it was wrong of me to have taken her gift.
For the next few weeks, God kept trying to get me to make it right with this lady. I didn't know what to do. I didn't want to give up the $, I wanted it all to myself. Everyday, I felt bad, but I did nothing about it.
Finally, one morning, I walked outside to go to work, and I saw our back fence flung open. Something was wrong. I got a sick feeling in my stomach as I realized someone had been in our yard. The car was still there, and from what I could see, looked fine. It wasn't until we actually went to inspect the car that we realized someone had been in it. Thankfully, they didn't break any windows, or vandalize the car at all. They somehow managed to open it nicely, take things that they wanted, close the door & leave. As I told people about the incident, I kept say how nice the robber was for being "gentle" in his thievery. I said the words "nice thief" so often that day, and every time I said them, something was triggered inside of me. I kept wondering why God would let this happen. Finally, instantly, I knew why.
I got such a sick feeling in my stomach. I was a nice thief. I robbed the lady at work "nicely". I felt such disgust towards myself when I realized what I had truly done. I realized that God had let us be "nicely" robbed to open my eyes.
That next morning, I took cash to work with me. I wrote the lady a letter, apologizing and explaining what had happened and the realization I had come to. I put the cash in the envelope with the letter and gave it to her.
A few minutes later, this lady came up to my desk. She looked so happy, yet teary. She said "God works in mysterious way." And I just looked at her, so she proceeded to explain. Basically, she had no money. That morning, she had about $0.59 in her bank account to live on for the next week or so with no gas in her car. The money that I gave her came at such a needed moment in her life. It was all I could do to keep from crying.
I took this as a very hard, expensive lesson for myself. 1st of all, do NOT, ever take advantage of anyone!! I knew what I was doing was wrong, yet I did it anyway cause of my greed. Do not be greedy!!
But it also worked out to be a blessing for this lady. Because of what happened with me, she got the money she needed at the exact moment that she needed it.
