Who stole my lunch?

My wife purchased my lunch on her way into the church today. When she arrived I informed her that I had arranged for us to have lunch with my brother who was visiting from Australia. We decided that the purchased lunch could go into the church fridge to be used tomorrow. In the evening she came into my office at the church and in an accusing tone asked me what had happened to my lunch? She assumed that sometime in the afternoon I had got hungry and decided to eat it. "I don't know!" I replied, "If it is gone it is not me!" We have Space2b at lunchtimes and today there were quite a number in the back of the church where we hold it. It is open for people to come in and there are hot drinks available, for a gold coin donation. Most give a donation but there is a group of guys who I suspect seldom do. I think one of these guys went out to the kitchen, opened the fridge and helped themselves to my lunch!

The weird thing is that if they had asked for food I probably would have given it to them. It feels a bit yuck that one of these guest stole my lunch. I recall a church member who died several years ago who had food stolen. He was a simple retired single guy who kept an immaculate garden and a productive vegetable garden. He lived in an area where there were student flats and there was a lane running down beside his house where students would come and go. He was always troubled with vegetables being stolen. They scraped out the potatoes from under the plants, leaving the tops growing. They did the same to carrots, cutting them off and replanting the tops. They took cabbages, silver-beet and ate his beans and peas. He said to me, "If they knocked on the door and asked I would be happy to grow vegetables for them!"

Anyway people are people and none of us are perfect. It reminded me of a quote I have on my wall... Mother Teresa may have written it, she certainly used it, but when I first got it it was said that Bishop Abel Muzorewa sent it to African Pastors during difficult times. Whoever wrote it, it has guided me over many years (when I can muster the right spirit)

"People are unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered. Love them anyway. If you do good, people may accuse you of selfish motives. Do good anyway. If you are successful, you may win false friends and true enemies. Succeed anyway. The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway. Honesty and transparency make you vulnerable. Be honest and transparent anyway. What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight. Build anyway. People who really want help may attack you if you help them. Help them anyway. Give the world the best you have and you may get hurt. Give the world your best anyway."