This Halloween, my love grew cold.

My wife and I went to bed. We left a big red plastic bowl outside on the porch with our remaining Halloween candy.

We wanted children to take the candy. But we were shocked when we discovered that someone took our big red plastic bowl, too.

We always have a camera aimed at our door. When we checked, we saw a grown woman swoop in and take our bowl away!

I was totally disheartened by this act of theft. I thought of the verse where Jesus says, “[b]ecause of the spread of wickedness the love of most [people] will grow cold, though the [person] who holds out to the end will be saved.” (Matthew 24:12-13).

Even though I was dismayed by this spread of wickedness, I had already decided that I would hold out to the end. I’d put out a big bowl with candy again next year, taking the chance that it would be stolen!

Fortunately, my faith has already been rewarded. Later, the big red bowl was returned. I found it sitting on the welcome mat where we’d left it.

We don’t know why they returned the bowl. Maybe a rebuke by someone in their household? Maybe a pang of conscience? Maybe the realization that they’d probably been caught by our camera?

I don’t know. And I don’t care. I’m just glad that everything worked together for good. (Romans 8:28).

THINGS TO THINK ABOUT

Why would someone steal our big red plastic bowl?

Why would someone return our big red plastic bowl?

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For related thoughts, please read my blogs “Hope after Navalny: Saul Becomes Paul”; “June 1962”; and “Building Houses on Rock: Mercy and Forgiveness”.