How I Feel About the Guy Who Took My Seat

Last night, the seat of my bicycle was stolen. I have no idea who stole it, but I have conflicting ideas of how I should feel about them.

While riding home on my bike, standing on the pedals, I was annoyed at the guy (I'm assuming it was a guy). He made my ride back home considerably more difficult and embarrassing. I will now have to buy a new bicycle seat and seat post, and I will now be a lot less trusting of my fellow man.

But maybe that's a good thing. I think that people should be able to trust each other, but if we're being realistic, people do need to watch out for thieves. I wasn't being careful, and it cost me my bicycle seat. Now, I will try to be more careful, and that may save me from a theft later on. I don't know how much bicycle seats cost, but I'm sure I own items of greater value, and considering this event, I'm going to be more vigilant to protect them. Who knows, maybe, in the long run, this thief saved me money.

Of course, this probably wasn't the thief's intention. He was probably just trying to make a quick buck, but when I think about why a person would do that, I almost feel sorry for him. He may need the money to pay for drugs, or some other addiction or debt. Debt and addiction are terrible. If this is a normally decent person who truly needs money that desperately, or at least feels like they do, then he probably feels conflicted about what he did. He may even regret it. He may feel sorry for what they did, and if he feels sincerely sorry for it, I should forgive him.

Actually, I should forgive him anyway. I guess I'm working on that.

And if the thief wasn't a decent person, then his situation is even worse. If he stole my bicycle seat just because he's greedy and thought he could get away with it, if there was no desperation, just want, then he's going to have some explaining to do before all this is over. When he stands before God on judgement day, this sin is going to testify against him, unless he repents of it first. I hope he does repent. I don't think he'd go to hell for stealing a bicycle seat, but it's not exactly Celestial behavior. He's capable of being better than that, and if this is part of a pattern of behavior, he's never going to reach his full potential this way.

I think the reason a sympathize so much with the guy who stole my bicycle seat is that I see parts of myself in him. I'm not a thief, nor am I likely to become one, but I have done things I regret, things that I fear may keep me out of the Celestial Kingdom. I'm not perfect. I often wrestle with myself over doing the right thing, and I don't always win those fights.

I'm not angry at the thief. Bicycle seats probably aren't all that expensive, and I was planning to go to the bike shop soon anyway. In the meantime, getting around without a bike seat is a bit awkward, but it's not impossible. All in all, I'm still doing okay.

Now I just hope he is.

He's obviously going through some stuff, be it addiction, debt, grappling with inner demons, or whatever else his problem may be. Whether he stole my seat just because he wanted to, or because he felt like he had to, I'm glad I'm not in his shoes. It seems that I'm in a better situation than he is, spiritually and/or financially, and that puts me in an interesting position.

I'm thankful for my blessings, both physical and spiritual, but at the same time, I know I'm not perfect. Though I don't wrestle with that sin often, there are other sins that beset me, so I shouldn't be too quick to judge. While the theft was certainly annoying, I may have learned something from it. And it's hard for me to stay angry at the guy, knowing that either his situation is painful and pitiful, or it's going to be.

I'd rather that my bike's seat hadn't been stolen, but I feel that way as much for the thief's sake as for mine. I wish he was doing well enough, both spiritually and financially, that he didn't feel compelled to take other people's things. I'm not happy with the decision he made, but I'm sure that he isn't or won't be either. This wasn't a good thing for either of us, and it's probably worse for him than it is for me. I think I do feel sorry for him, and that helps me to want to forgive him and ask God to help him with whatever his problem is. He's clearly experiencing some kind of problem, and it's probably a far more serious problem than temporarily lacking a bicycle seat.