We know what it means when we say someone “stole our thunder”. It is a euphemism for when someone takes your praise, credit, or attention before you have a chance to. But it doesn’t make a lot of literal sense. You don’t own any thunder for anybody to steal.
Unless you are John Dennis.
As the story goes, Dennis was a playwright in
the 1700s. His play was mostly a dud but part of it wasn’t. He had come up with
a clever way of simulating the sound of thunder. When Dennis went to another play,
he recognized his creation. He exclaimed, “The villains will not play my play,
but they steal my thunder!” Now he made something else people would steal,
his turn of phrase and it seems he still didn’t get much credit for that.
Often items we think
of stealing as a material only thing. But we can steal things that are not as
tangible as well. A person’s time, a reputation, hope, credit, joy. All these
might not be physical things but they can be just as damaging if we rob them
from someone.
Romans 13:7 commands
us, “Render to all what is due them: tax to whom tax is due; custom to whom
custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor”. Don’t think just because
you haven’t picked a person's pocket you have not stolen from them something
they deserve. Failure to give what is due can be grand theft as well.
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