Expert: Carl Fuglein - 3/21/2008

Question
hi, im 13 years old and i have stolen stuff how can i fix this so god will forgive me

Answer
Hi Austin-The first thing you have to do is return the stuff to its rightful owner.  If you no longer have it (e.g., if you shoplifted food and ate it, or stole something and took it to the pawn shop), then you have to make restitution, i,e, pay for what you took.

That's the hard part.  The easy part is asking God for forgiveness - if you're truly sorry, God will forgive you immediately, and you should go on and not steal again.

For a 13 year old, it may be really difficult for you to go and return what you took, especially if you took it from a store, because they may want to prosecute you for shoplifting.  Before you do that, I strongly recommend that you confess to your parents first, and let them help you with the decision of what to do next.  You may also want to go to your youth minister.

I pray that you can make things right.  Just remember God loves you, and He will forgive you.

blessings,
carl