"A Sign Of Conscience"

Who knew that police departments had Facebook pages? I didn't, but that's not a huge surprise since I don't do Facebook. The New Smyrna Beach, Florida police department, though, has such a spot on the Internet, and on April 6 they had an interesting post.

According to reports, someone returned via mail a large blue sign they had stolen 30 years earlier. Included with the sign was a $50 money order, along with an anonymous note asking for forgiveness for an act committed during "a fit of youthful exuberance". The money order was for the cost of reinstalling the sign, which read, "New Smyrna Beach Says No To Drugs".

The police have decided to let the matter stop there. There will be no investigation into who might have sent the sign. They said on their Facebook page, rather, that this act of contrition gives hope that people will often do the right thing, even after 30 years.

A quote from Mark Twain comes to my mind: "Do the right thing. It will gratify some people and astonish the rest." I can envision many applauding this person's sensitive conscience, while others shake their heads in disbelief and derision. Not everyone gets it when it comes to doing the right thing.

The prophet Amos spoke to a rebellious nation, the northern kingdom of Israel. In the Old Testament book bearing his name, many examples of wrongdoing are cited. He summed up the seriousness of their condition with these words: "'For they do not know to do right,' says the Lord, 'Who store up violence and robbery in their palaces'" (Amos 3:10). "They do not know to do right" - that's quite a serious indictment.

Most people have a basic knowledge of what it means to do right, such as not stealing public signs. But of all the signs that have been stolen, how many have been returned, do you suppose? That would indicate a breakdown of conscience, that inner voice built into us that acts as something like a smoke alarm. When we do something that's not right, the alarm should go off. Some people, however, just remove the batteries from the smoke alarm, and never attempt to do what is right.

Paul had this warning about ignoring our conscience: "... wage the good warfare, having faith and a good conscience, which some having rejected, concerning the faith, have suffered shipwreck" (1 Timothy 1:18-19). He's speaking of people who know true principles, but fail to live by them, ignoring the alarms the conscience gives. Such people, he said, are destined for shipwreck.

Instead of laughing at people that return signs stolen 30 years earlier, let's applaud them. And learn from them.

-- Tim Hall