Law enforcement agents recently showed up at the home of
Laura Benson in Anna, IL. Her neighbors
suspected the family was running a meth lab, so they contacted local law
enforcement and reported the “suspicious” activity. When they arrived, Ms. Benson explained to
the officers that they were running a maple syrup operation, not a meth
lab. The officers were given a tour of
the process and left with samples of the homemade maple syrup.
Ms. Benson reportedly was shocked, but appreciative, that her
neighbors were “alert” enough keep an eye out for criminal activity in the
community. Her message to the neighbors who called the police: “I just
want to put their minds at ease, and let them know it's maple syrup. And that
they're all welcome for pancakes if they want to come on over."
This story makes me think of Matthew 5:39:
“Here’s
another old saying that deserves a second look: ‘Eye for eye, tooth for tooth.’
Is that going to get us anywhere? Here’s what I propose: ‘Don’t hit back at
all.’ If someone strikes you, stand there and take it. If someone drags you
into court and sues for the shirt off your back, giftwrap your best coat and
make a present of it. And if someone takes unfair advantage of you, use the
occasion to practice the servant life. No more tit-for-tat stuff. Live
generously.” (The Message)
I don’t know Laura Benson or her family, though I think I
might like to if I lived in the area. I
hope the people who called the police will take the time to know their
neighbors because they seem well worth knowing.
I hope that, given a similar situation, I would react with this kind of understanding
and grace. Like the Benson family, I
want to provide a rich source of sweetness that will brighten my community . .
. and I’m not talking about the maple syrup.
Tami Cinquemani
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