310 ce...Gone!

For those of you who aren't guitar lovers like I am a Taylor 310 ce is a guitar. In fact, it is a very nice, beautiful sounding, expensive guitar...and I had one.

My uncle Paul, about 8 years ago or so took me into a music store in small town Indiana and told me to pick any guitar, and so I did. His stipulation was that I pay him back, which I willingly and eagerly accepted. One of the reasons this guitar was so special to me was that when I felt the calling on my life to go into full-time ministry my uncle wiped my debt clean. I paid half and the rest was eliminated...gone...history. That was a very special gesture from a very special uncle. If you ever read this uncle Paul, thank you.

I've had that guitar since that time, and a few others that never could compare, until a few nights ago. It was stolen out of my car. You never leave guitars in your car by the way. Not for the fear of them getting stolen, well, until now, but because the humidity and heat aren't good for them so I never, ever leave my guitar in the car. Well, once I guess, and now it's gone. Thankfully I have a back up but that was my Taylor, my precious Taylor.

Here's the bright side of the story. I found out Sunday morning about 10 minutes before rehearsal, when I needed it, that it had been stolen. Needless to say, I was frustrated. I was mad. I was sick to my stomach. My guitar was gone. So, I told my team about it, shared some of my frustrations and disappointment, and put a smile on my face and acted like nothing was wrong. I mean, that's what we're supposed to do at church right? Here's the cool thing though, and a way that I can see God working in my life, it was real. The smile, the "oh well, it's ok" attitude. It was all real. I felt so close to God during worship that morning. I just realized that no matter how much I love that guitar or how special it was to me, I can't take it with me when I go home. Also, I don't know who took it, obviously, but I would love to meet them for two reasons: 1) Because I would get my guitar back, but 2) and most importantly I would tell that person that I love them and that I forgive them.

I guess something my pastor Jamie once said has stuck with me. He said that we need to know that people like this (in my case the thief) are not the enemy. They are the victim of the enemy and if we believed that we would treat them differently, or lets say...appropriately.

To One End