When God gave this commandment, I wonder if He knew how people would twist its meaning.  Of course, He did, He’s God.  I always imagine some child stealing a candy bar or a teenager shoplifting a sweater they can’t afford to buy.  But, it encompasses so much more.

Some things many people don’t think of as stealing, can creep into our lives.  My children used to think I was quite the fanatic when I wouldn’t allow them to make copies of their music tapes for their friends.  It is stealing from the earnings of the artist and the producers.  You are allowed to copy one or two songs for personal use without violating copyright laws.

Recently the news has reported college students cheating on their SAT tests.  They are actually stealing answers for their own use.  When a teen copies a friends report or looks on their test paper to get the answers; that also is stealing.

It is obvious that we shouldn’t steal a car or rob a bank, but neither should we take away from an individuals income source.  I have actually argued to pay admission to places when my children looked younger than they were.  One year, when my son was 4, we all went to Cedar Point (a large amusement park on Lake Erie).  The ticket man insisted that Jonathan was not 4 and should be let in free.  We insisted that we pay the admission price.

More recently, my husband and I got produce coupons from the state of Ohio.  It was supposed to be based on income, but they told us outright that they didn’t bother to check income.  When I began to receive my Social Security check, it put us over the income limit.  It meant we gave up $100. in free produce every summer, but we refused to apply.  We wouldn’t even of had to lie, because they wouldn’t check, but we still were stealing from the program.

Stealing can take many forms so we must be careful not to let this kind of dishonesty to work in us.  In many cases, God and I are the only ones who would ever know, but He is the most important One to consider and I want to live and die with a clear conscience.