Volume 30, No. 17                                               
April 24, 2005

Hole Hearted

   A clumsy crook in Ottawa, Ontario tried to steal phone service from a porn shop, but police had his number right from the start.

   When twenty-three-year-old Justin Lewtry pleaded guilty to mischief and attempted theft of communications services, a court in Canada’s capital city heard bizarre testimony about how Lewtry had run out of cellphone minutes and decided to tap into a phone line from the porn shop under his apartment.

   When Blue Moon Video closed for the night, Lewtry started drilling a series of holes in his floor to find the store’s phone wiring, according to Crown prosecutor Riad Tallim.  He reached into the floor and pulled out some wires.

   Thinking he’d found the phone cable, Lewtry cut the wire to connect it to his phone. ”Unfortunately for him, the line he cut was the alarm wire,” said Tallim. The alarm scared Lewtry’s cat, and the frightened feline jumped into the hole his owner had cut in the floor. “I suppose the cat came back on this one,” Tallim told the court as many struggled to stifle laughter.

   Lewtry reached into the hole and retrieved the cat but lost his balance, tumbled through the hole, and fell into the store like a sack of flour.  He couldn’t get out, making things easy for the police who soon arrived on the scene.

   Before sentencing, Justice Lise Maisonneuve called Lewtry’s actions “stupid” and “selfish.”  She put the bumbling crook on probation for a year and ordered him to make a $300 donation to charity.

   We smile, but we’re not unlike the bungling burglar.  If you think about it, being a Christian in today’s culture is something like living above a porn shop.  We have our own space and do our own thing, but the world’s always right there.  For the most part, we leave well enough alone.  We’re in the world, but not of the world, just like Jesus told us.

   Then, one day, we have a problem.  Or there’s something missing.  It’s not that we want all the nasty stuff the world has to offer — we just want to fix the situation or fill the void without having to wait.  Impatient and impetuous, we don’t take enough time to think about what we’re doing, or weigh the potential risks and consequences.  We just go with the first shortcut that comes to mind, especially if it’ll save us money, time or effort. “Wise people think before they act,” says Proverbs 13:16, “but fools don’t, and even brag about it.” At least until things go wrong, with results that range from  comedic to cataclysmic.

   When we’re on the road to disaster, ever notice how one stupid mistake always invites several others along for the ride?  Once we get flustered, frustrated or frantic, things almost always go from bad to worse.  Whenever we try to tap into what the world as to offer, it’s only a matter of time before we lose our spiritual balance.  As Solomon says, “God rescues the godly from danger but He lets the wicked fall into trouble.”  (Proverbs 11:8)     

   Usually it’s trouble of our own making and the fallout of falling in can be humiliating.  Instead of trying to hack in to our culture’s values or advantages, we need to patch in to what’s happening inside our hearts.  We must take the time and do the work to find the hole and see what lies behind the longings that bring out the impulsive impatience that imperils even the strongest among us.  “My child, don’t lose sight of planning and insight,” says Solomon.  “Hang on to them for they fill you with life,  bring you honour and respect and... keep your feet from stumbling.” (Proverbs 3:21-23)  

   Good advice, because once we fall through the hole, it’s often impossible to get out. “The godliness of good people rescues them but the ambition of treacherous people traps them.” (Proverbs 11:6)  

   The good news is, even when we’re stupid and selfish, our Judge is lenient when we come before Him with a penitent heart.  Even when that heart still has a hole in it.  

By Rick Gamble, published in Cross Current, the weekly newsletter of the Followers of Christ church family in Brantford, Ontario, Canada.  Reprint at will in not-for-profit publications.  To receive these free weekly articles via email, send a note to sgamble@bfree.on.ca