A family victimized by a thief is reportedly changing the story by inviting the unidentified man back into their home in Jackson County, Missouri to get a special gift: a Bible.
The Christian Headlines reported that Jennifer Collier and her family have decided not to press charges against the thief who stole two leaf blowers from them. The unidentified man executed his plan while the Colliers were doing yard work on their back property during the weekend.
Forgiving The Thief
The man, a medium-built Caucasian with high receding hair, was shown from the family's security camera walking up the driveway and then running away with what he stole. While security footage from the family's neighbor shows that the man had been observing their house for some time before taking the items.
In an interview with KCTV-5, Collier admitted being irritated that someone could just walk right into their home and get something she has worked hard for. She assumed that the man stole the leaf blowers with the intention of selling them.
Collier then revealed that she has forgiven the man and had even prepared a Bible for him as a gift. She announced that she placed the Bible in a plastic bag for protection. She stressed that the Bible will be left on the front porch for the man to get and will not be removed there until he does so. She clarified that she will not press charges as long as the man returns what she stole. She underscored that they will not even have him arrested should he return to take the Bible.
"I left a Bible for you on my front porch. If you want to return what you took, it's there for you because the things that you took - that's not going to make you happy," Collier said.
Also Read: Police Warn Car Owners To Protect Their Vehicles From 'Gas Thieves'
Forgiving Others Is Rooted In The Bible's Command To Love
Collier went on to explain that what she is doing is based on the Bible and particularly quoted Matthew 26: 37-39. She also cited Matthew 22, which speaks of the greatest commandment in the law summarized as love for God alongside loving one's neighbor as oneself.
"The greatest commandment in the Bible is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, your mind, your soul. The Second Commandment directly following that is to love your neighbor as yourself," Collier explained.
According to Forbes Advisor, there are 1.7 million burglaries annually in the United States based on the most recent study (2017) conducted by the Department of Justice. FBI data, on the other hand, show there is a downward trend in home burglaries between 2018 and 2019. While an increase in property crimes between 2019 and 2021 was recorded in a SafeWise study. Statista said that the average value of property thieves stole from residences was $7,937 in 2020.
This is why the Family Handyman said leaving expensive stuff in sight and not doing anything after a burglary makes one's home a target for thieves.
Despite these statistics, 75% of homeowners do not have a built-in home security system. Thus, 51% of home burglaries reoccur in six weeks or less. The interesting part is that 65% of victims know who committed the crime.
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