I am going to set up a scenario.

Two women both own a store. One child steals a bag of chips from each of them, and both women run him out of their businesses. A few days later the child goes back to the stores, to apologize and pay for the chips, because he wishes to repent of what he did. In one store the woman simply yells at him that she'd never like to see him again and runs him out of the store again. So, tentatively, the boy goes to the next store, with the same purpose in mind. The store owner asks him if he needs help and the boy, so full of remorse and fear bursts into tears. Through his sobs, he explains that he didn't want to steal the chips, it was peer pressure, and he wanted to make restitution for his actions. The woman is awed at the child's courage and tells him so, as well as forgiving him for what he did. He hands the woman the money, and slowly walks out the door, with a peaceful look of satisfaction upon his face.

Which woman would you want to be?

Jesus said to help the sinners of the world...what good could you be doing by rejecting the child who stole your son's bike, or threw rocks at your horses? Often we need to look beyond what the sinner is doing, and just ask them if they need help. No I'm not saying that we can just ignore those things, a person should by all means make restitution for their actions. But the bottom line is are you willing to forgive those actions and give a person another chance? Are you willing to find out the reasons for their actions and try to help? Just saying "You know that Jesus loves you." could start to change a person's life. This next week, try to remember that, when the neighbor's kids steal tomatoes from your garden, or the woman across the street tosses a cigarette butt into your driveway.