This is really a two-part question: who is the thief and what is taken? There are a variety of thieves and many people experience more than one type. The fallout from being robbed can be extremely long-lasting and affect more areas of your life than imagined. Some examples of the thieves are stress, low self-esteem, real and/or imagined expectations (from others and self-imposed), lack of time and resources, etc. There are others that you could… fill in the blank, the point is that there are a vast array of forces that seem to have you in their headlights, aiming to disrupt you, your goals, your hopes…
Sometimes it seems like there are a host of thieves working together against you. I would also suspect that, at times, we are waiting for them to emerge, while other times we are blindsided. But the emotional toll that is exacted can be crippling. I would contend that any and all thieves have the same ‘goal’, the same focus – to get our eyes off of whatever we are doing and focus on them, typically on our ‘lack’. One of the victims thieves take from us is our energy. We can quickly be consumed in the stress and thus have less available for the task. Another victim is our confidence, especially in our ability to accomplish (fill in the blank). Peace is another casualty, and dreams, hopes, joy… faith.
You DO remember who you are, don’t you? And Whose you are – yes? Then why do we appear to act as people who are being tosses to and fro by every wind of doctrine, as having no foundation with no standard? Face it, we sometimes lie down and accept ‘our fate’. Stuff and nonsense! Why? Granted, this can also happen when we go into those places ‘…where even angels wouldn’t venture’, but I’m not talking about those. I’m talking about when we allow ourselves to be robbed. Have you also noted that these times can also be characterized by our own lack of initial (passion?, confidence?, commitment?, preparation?, etc.) to the goal?
If God calls you to something then, and you only have a grain of mustard-seed faith, it’s sufficient so give all you can to it. Don’t allow the thief to deter your, especially if you are robbing yourself and abetting the thief. Thieves don’t care about you, except to make you feel impotent to do anything to stop them. Funny thing though… the only way they know if they are successful is IF you act on what they whisper in your ear. They are NOT all wise, all knowing, all powerful – they lie. Don’t buy into what they say You are. Remember Whose you are!
