Sins Humbling Ways

The day after Christmas we woke up to find our mailbox had been a victim of bashing. Poor little thing was pretty beaten in.

Upon investigation we found that most of the mailboxes on the block had been beaten up too. 

I don't understand mailbox bashing. It seems like such a pointless crime. But nevertheless, we were left with a mailbox that wouldn't shut and a broken flag. And the tag for a new mailbox.

Merry Christmas to us from the neighborhood.

Since then we have put off getting a new mailbox for various reasons but we knew we were going to have to do it soon.

Today, as snow was falling heavily and the air was a wee bit frigid (remember that for this story), there was a knock at the door. I opened it to find two teen boys looking awkward and wiggly. 

They had in their hands a brand new mailbox. Well, well.

They proceeded to confess to the crime they had committed and not only gave us a new box but installed it for us (remember the weather). We signed a sheet of paper saying we had received a new mailbox from them and had been given an apology. Ouchie! I don't know who made them do all that but I'm pretty sure they weren't thrilled about it.

These teen boys that looked about 16 learned a wonderful lesson in humility and the wages of sin. 

I would have slunk up the steps to each house I had to visit and oozed back down them as I slithered over in my humbled low skin to change out the mailbox. I'm imagining they felt close to the same.

I'm also thinkin' they had to personally pay for each and every mailbox and from the list of addresses on that piece of paper, that wasn't cheap. 

But I give them credit. They did it and now they can move on. And their whole life they will carry with them the lesson on doing things wrong but making it right. Not the best way to learn things but whatever works.

They also got the gospel presented to them. While they were putting up our new box, Vince went out there and gave them a brief gospel and how they can find true forgiveness. Go, Babe! I bet they didn't expect that! :)  I was so proud of him.
Meanwhile, I'm inside trying hard not to laugh. I know it's bad but to have to do what they had to do just for getting some strange thrill out of hitting a mailbox with a bat, it hardly seems worth it and they paid for it.
But then I think, sin is always humbling and we have all born the consequences. Maybe not always so publicly but it's open before our God and sinning against Him should make us even more humbled than what they must have been to admit their wrongs to us.
Thankfully we know that when we do humble ourselves and confess, He is faithful and just to forgive and He signs His name in blood on our hearts to show that He has received our apology and all is made well.