Have you ever intentionally broken the law?

Entertain, Educate, Enlighten

Law. Law of the land. God’s law. Laws of nature and science. Common law.

What is law?

Miriam-Webster dictionary has the following definition of law:

1. a binding custom or practice of a community: a rule of conduct or action prescribed or formally recognized as binding or enforced by a controlling authority.

There are many more definitions, for now, I’m using this one.

*

YES!!! I have intentionally broken the law multiple times.

I stole items as a child to test the limits of those in control over me and to test God. I desperately wanted God to change the life I was stuck in. I was just a child who needed to be loved and cared for. By stealing small items, I was testing myself as well. I knew it was illegal and that there would be consequences. Unfortunately, there was only 2 times I was caught and had very little consequences. What I learned is that no one really cared or watched me very well. My childhood brain told itself that this was my “super power” and I needed to be careful when using it.

Theft in my teenage years was limited to shoplifting. It wasn’t a thrill. I had no rush. It was a private use of my “super power” to help those who couldn’t afford whatever the item was. I felt like Robin Hood. I wasn’t a criminal. I was “helping others”.

As a young adult in Southern California, I had a couple of times of homelessness. I would on occasion go to a nightclub like Bobby McGee’s, sneak in (I was only 19), steal a purse, take it to the bathroom, take only part of the cash and then bring it to the bar and say I found it. I felt terrible each time. I was in survival mode and at the same time was trying to limit their loss.

I married my 1st husband when I was 21 and had my only child about 18 months later. I stopped stealing. I did not have the same thought processes. I became a parent. I wanted to provide my child with more than what I was given. I didn’t want her to ever feel like she had to steal my time, energy or emotions.

*

In my youth, I have most definitely intentionally broken the law. I have also drastically changed those thought processes.