In 1972, two men, John Wojtowicz and Salvatore Naturile, robbed a French bank. They would have gotten away with it – had they gotten away. But caught up in their success, the young men grabbed the cash, then stood around the bank lobby unnecessarily. Because they didn’t leave as soon as they had the loot, the police got there in time. Naturile was shot dead and Wojtowicz was given a 27-year prison sentence.
I would argue that the biggest mistake these two fellows made was not to rob the bank. Nor was it to hang around the bank too long. Their biggest mistake was that of misplaced priorities.
The Bible says, “Whoever loves money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income. This too is meaningless” (Ecclesiastes 5:10).
Recovery Step: Misplaced priorities. They will get anyone into serious trouble. The remedy? Take a moment to do an honest inventory of the things you value too much – and too little – in your recovery.
