How to steal from a church

Last night I was explaining to a young lady who has just started coming to our church that we had had the computer and other equipment stolen. She asked, "How can people do that? How can they steal from a church?" Today, whilst walking home from an old persons day centre (where a few of us had been singing carols) I realised there is an easy answer: "By not thinking about the consequences."

The reason this answer came to me was because I found myself not wanting to dwell on the consequences of my appalling keyboard skills. I had cheerfully volunteered to play for the carols and although I hit the right notes most of the time, there were enough wrong notes and enough inappropriately loud notes (the keyboard was sensitive and a heavy left hand resulted in a sudden doyng! every now and then), that it was embarrassing for myself, for the singers who had come to help and for the old folk listening. Eventually R (who had initially refused to play) stepped in and did a perfectly adequate job, thus proving it wasn't the keyboard at fault but the person playing. And yet I do not feel particularly embarrassed. Why not? Because I choose not to think about it. Even now I am only thinking on a superficial level - I don't want to remember just how bad it was. Time to move on to other safer thoughts.

People who steal from church can do so without feelings of guilt by simply not thinking about the problems they have caused to the church members (and in particular our hard-working property secretary) in terms of nuisance, finance and emotional trauma. The moment you think that people are suffering because of something you have done, then you are in big trouble. But if you can decide that their problems are no concern of yours then any guilt will vanish like the morning dew.

No wonder that Paul urges us to "look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others." (Phil 2:4 - which coincidentally is part of the chapter we are looking at in tonight's Bible study.) Thoughtlessness is actually a terrible thing.