To the person who stole my catalytic converter

I'm guessing you've done this before, given that I'm not the first person this has happened to (nor was I the only one last night - there were at least 5 of us). You saw cars you could easily get a part off of. Cars that were empty. And you took those parts, ostensibly to sell to shady scrap yards who take these things, despite knowing that no one just has 5 catalytic converters on their hands for legitimate reasons.

But let me tell you what you didn't see. You didn't see me stumble out of work, sick from some ridiculous virus and in pain from an ovarian cyst that's large enough to exhaust me, but not enough to be removed. You didn't see that it was an effort just to walk to the car, and that all I wanted was to go home and rest. Maybe even go to bed early. You didn't see that my husband and I have varying schedules next week, and will be scrambling to rearrange things so we can drive together.

You didn't see me picking up my toddler two hours late from the sitter's, at a time when she should have already been in bed. She's also getting over a virus, and needs all the sleep she can get. You didn't see the mountain of medical bills we have from her open heart surgery and my autoimmune disorder. You didn't see our mortgage or my crushing student loan debt, all of which are going to make it an extremely tight squeeze to try to replace the part without making some big sacrifices. You didn't see that my daughter's birthday is coming up, and we probably won't be able to get her as much as we wanted to - as much as she deserves - because of this. You didn't see that my food bill is higher because I have Celiac and need to eat gluten free.

You didn't see that I am the kind of person who tries to see the good in everyone, and to help anyone I can. You didn't see that this kind of thing breaks my heart because I'm having a very hard time coming up with a decent excuse for your behavior. 

You probably think I'm angry, if you even think of me at all, which, I honestly doubt. And I was. I am extremely slow to anger, but I was furious. I can't maintain that for long, though - your actions are not worth my peace of mind. So let me tell you what I'm going to do - I'm going to pray for you.

If you needed the money for an honorable cause, I pray that you soon find yourself in a place where you have a legitimate means to provide for your needs.

If you stole it because you are a drug addict and needed more, I pray that you face your addiction and get some help before it destroys you.

If you stole it because your friends are a bad influence (there had to be at least 2 of you), I pray that you see your own worth and find better friends who will elevate you - not bring you down with them.

If you stole it because you never learned any better from your parents, I pray you learn to let go of their poor example and start accepting responsibility for your current actions.

Above all, I pray you come to Christ and are able to turn your life around because this is no way to live.