What can we do about crime?
I guess it’s like everything else, we don’t think about it until it happens to us. We don’t want to think about it.
Thinking about crime means thinking about criminals, and these are people we don’t want to think about because they are bad people who cause trouble and pain. And, gee, I guess as long as they aren’t causing pain and trouble for me, it’s just too worrisome to even let it enter my mind.
But criminals are committing crimes every day, and if we have the capability, then we have the responsibility to do something about it.
In physical health, which is better, preventative care or emergency care? How does the old saying go? “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”
Today let’s talk about what we can do to prevent crimes from being committed. I’m not talking about security systems or putting up razor wire around your house. Today I want to go to the root of it all, and here is where my thinking began.
One day I was driving through a bad neighborhood. I thought, “Here they are, the criminals.” Then I thought, “You know, I drove through this same neighborhood 20 years ago, and for some reason, in my mind, it’s exactly the same people, but, of course, it isn’t.
Twenty years ago they were children or babies or not even born yet. And now they are just hanging out, looking for trouble, and finding it. They are filling our jails and prisons around the country. But just a few years ago they were little innocent babies. Then they were toddlers and kindergarteners and silly second-graders, and somewhere they veered off onto the path of becoming a criminal, a person willing to break the law, a person willing to steal from you, or hurt you or destroy your property.
And while they were on their journey from a newborn to a thug, where were we? Did we love them? Did we care for them? Did we spend time with them? Did we listen to them? Nope. We were busy. We had cars to wash and lawns to mow and rooms to redecorate and movies to watch and CDs to buy and closets to fill and sports to be played and tests to be studied for and careers to nurture and restaurants to support and even churches to build.
And we ignore the little kids from the rough neighborhood or the difficult family situations. We are too busy. We have too much going on in our full little lives. Too many things to take care of. Too many material possessions to maintain and clean and polish. “Sure, go ahead and build more jails. Just keep them out of my neighborhood.”
And Jesus opens His mouth, but words don’t come out…
I love this old story, but it’s always worth retelling, about the little boy on a beach covered with star fish that had washed up on shore. He was throwing them back into the water, and someone asked him why. He said, “I’m saving their life.” “But look at all these star fish. You can’t possibly help them all.” “No,” he said, preparing to throw another star fish back into the water, “but I can help this one.”
No, you can’t help everyone. You can’t change the world. But you can change someone’s world. And if a future criminal is diverted from that path, you are also saving the heartache of their future victims.
Maybe it’s time to stop polishing our stuff and reach out to someone in a rough situation. You never know the future pain you’ll be sparing someone from, maybe even you.
(As heard on Wave 94.1 FM)
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