Thieves come to steal, kill, and destroy

Robbers, bad guys, and crooks

Of course I had to add getting robbed on my list of firsts in Southeast Asia. It's only natural. Most of the time, our house feels pretty safe. We have bars on all the windows, a super heavy gate that's got a big lock on it, and sturdy fences around our yard.

Unfortunately, high class robbers have figured out a way to maneuver around the bars in our windows. They got some kind of contraption, stuck it thourgh the bars, and scooped up my roomie's Ipad in her bedroom. They didn't enter the house... this time... But they had to have been watching for me to leave the house, becuase I don't leave it often in the mornings. On this particular day, I wanted to go on a bike ride and hit up the wet market for some eats. They were waiting for the moment, man. I was only gone for 45 minutes at most, but that was just enough time to do the deed and peace out.
I can't help to feel a little unsafe, violated, and stalked. Unnerved and uneasy also come to mind.

I guess I can cross "getting robbed" off of my bucket list now.

I personally have nothing valuable here, especially after giving my laptop a bath. But this experience got me thinking... What if I didn't have God? What if I didn't believe in him and was clinging to all my material possessions? What if I had no source of peace and rest after getting broken into? My treasures are in heaven, but what if they weren't? I'd be a basket case if I had all my treasures tucked away in this house. I'd think... They're gonna come back when I'm not home! And I'll lose everything! I'm not worried, though. I was angry for a day solid at the intrusion, but I'm not worried deep down. I have no fear of losing everything materially valuable to me.

Anyways, I just wanted to let you all know that getting your stuff taken isn't the end of the world. My roomie has impressed me with her ease of mind in this situation. Her peace in having lost an Ipad. It's not the end of the world. We live and learn. Granted, we're going to hide our stuff better next time and take more security precautions with our house. But, what matters is that in the end, even if the ramsack the place and strip it of everything, we are OK. Out hope lies elsewhere. Our value lies elsewhere. God gives good gifts, and the hope of life that He promises outweights anything on this earth we could lose; even our own lives.