The Robbery: He Understands

We were returning home from visiting a friend. We had forgotten it was our friend’s birthday, so in a hurry to go to her house, we had left our soup out, dishes still on the table, and lights all on. When we got home, I came inside to open the basement garage door. Something wasn’t right. In the hallway, I noticed my purse was spilled out on the floor, which wasn’t normal, so I looked around the corner into our room. I saw that everything was in a mess, completely rummaged through. Clothes on the floor. Dresser emptied. Mattress pushed to the side. Bags opened and spilled. Jewelry box opened. Wedding ring gone. Hallway closet rummaged through. With wide eyes, and a panicked heart, I went into the other bedroom. Computers, work phone, printer, xbox, camera — all gone. Window open. Muddy shoe prints lined the carpet. Everything a mess.

The hysteria quickly filled my heart. The shock poured in. Fear took over. I screamed. Tears flowed. I ran outside to where Todd was waiting. I screamed, “we’ve been robbed!” The look of fear in his eyes only elevated my own fear. He rushed in. We did a thorough search through the whole house. It appeared that the thieves had kept themselves to the back of the house, probably because they had noticed the security cameras in the front part of the house. I remember crying and crying. I wanted to sell the house and move. I wanted to escape this experience and forget that it had ever happened.

Not more than 24 hours before our robbery, we had just been talking about what would happen if we were robbed? What would we do? What would be taken? We had been talking about it because Todd’s brother’s home in Utah had been robbed. We had felt sad for them, but couldn’t truly relate.

And now this. We were in disbelief. We called the police and they came to do fingerprints, but none were found. The next day we called insurance and began to get everything back in place and sorted out. I felt quite numb. I felt angry at the thieves, mad that we lived in that house, upset that we had not set our security alarm (though at the time it wasn’t even monitored), and afraid that it would happen again. I remember feeling so scared every time I would leave the house, a deep fear they would come back.

We felt violated. Someone had looked through all our stuff, and now a lot of it was theirs. I was so grateful we had each other. We realized that we would have to get to a point where we could forgive those who had robbed us. We fasted and prayed for help to do so. We would have to move on from this experience. We looked at pawn shops in the area for my wedding ring, but never found it. With the insurance money we were able to replace much of what was taken.

Eventually we were able to move on. Eventually, with God’s help, we forgave. Eventually, everything (except my ring) was replaced. Eventually, we got back to the point of not being paranoid every time we left the house. Eventually, it became a memory, and the feelings of despair, sorrow, and grief faded. Eventually, everything was fine again.

The most impactful part of the whole experience, however, came just one day after the robbery. We were sitting on the couch, still in disbelief, trying to work things out with insurance and police, when Todd got a call. He saw that it was his brother Weston, the brother who had been robbed just one day prior. Todd answered. Weston said, “Hey.” And that was it. Todd’s tears came. Weston knew exactly how we felt, and now we knew exactly how they felt. We understood one another perfectly. All Weston had to say was “Hey,” in order for us to feel the love and support he was offering. We learned in that precise moment, that that is exactly how the Savior is with us. He knows exactly what it is like for each of us, individually, every moment of every day. And the more we let Him into our lives, the more He will reach out to us, and offer that sustaining “Hey, I am here; I get it. What can I do?” Christ is always there. He always understands. He never abandons us, no matter what. Even if we feel completely hopeless because of our own incorrect choices or another’s, He is there.