Black Pants & Invaded Privacy

I came back from my holidays to discover that, in my absence, my closet had been tampered with. My clothes weren't in the correct order, and a bag containing private stuff (letters and journals) had been messed with and left open.

I went through my clothes and lo!-my favorite pair of black pants was missing.

I could feel the beginnings of a fine rage heating up my blood. The maid who takes care of my grandma had just left for a short holiday to her native country, and she has a daughter around my age. She was the only person who could've touched my stuff and she has a record of pilfering things.

I felt disturbed, and scarily angry. More than the thought that my stuff had been stolen was the sense of invaded privacy - that my stuff had been 'violated'!

Quiet time that night was hard. I kept on telling God how pissed off I was, and since He reminded me only the night before that 'revenge belongs to the Lord', it was clear that the right thing to do was to leave matters to Him.

I have to admit, I asked Him for revenge. God, I'm the innocent party! Please see to it that whoever was responsible for all this suffers terribly!!! (Yes, okay, maybe I went overboard. But I'm extremely territorial, and hate near-strangers touching my stuff without my permission!)

I have a daily Bible-reading 'plan' of 5 psalms per day, and it so happened that that night it was Psalms 1 to 5. God doesn't mince His Word!

In your anger do not sin; when you are on your beds, search your hearts and be silent. Offer right sacrifices and trust in the LORD. - Psalm 4:4-5

Okay, Lord. But I can't do it on my own. If left to my own devices, I would be cursing, spitting mad. Help me trust in You, help me offer the right sacrifices.

Well, let me tell you that fighting to keep down my anger, struggling not to give it free rein was a Herculean effort to me. And I thought I'd improved! God showed me otherwise.

The next night, my pants had not been found and I gave it up for lost forever. The boiling rage had subsided to a simmer, and every time I found myself thinking of it and getting angry, I surrendered it to the Lord.

A voice seemed to speak in my head To the faithful He shows Himself faithful...

I wasn't familiar with that verse, so I opened my Bible to look it up. I thought it was in the New Testament, but it's actually Psalm 18:25 - To the faithful, You show Yourself faithful.

Goosebumps swept up my arms. Okay, Lord, if You see fit to take away my pants, so be it, because You know what's best for me. I'll just continue being faithful and offering up the right sacrifices.

The 3rd day...my black pants was restored to me! The maid (another one) found it in some obscure linen closet! Obviously it was misplaced.

First I was joyful. Then I was ashamed, remembering how I'd wronged an innocent maid and how arrogant I was in seeking retribution!

Immediately I repented.

And God reminded me of these verses, which are now among my favorites:

Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. - 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Indeed, give thanks in ALL circumstances! It's amazing how much God taught me through a pair of misplaced pants and a bit of invaded privacy.