"Lot"

As most of you have probably figured out by now, our family has recently made a HUGE move to the North Country. This decision was not an easy one to make! There were several reasons this decision was so difficult! 1) How was Ashley going to handle being uprooted from school, an Abeka school at that, and moved to a new school, an ACE one, at the beginning of her 11th grade year? 2) Would Carrie handle this well - I mean we were taking her away from her boyfriend, her college, her job, her friends? 3) Was it smart to leave my really good job with good benefits? I mean - really....what were we thinking?!?! Many, many days of prayer and much discussion went into this decision!
I have been reading through the story of Lot in my devotions recently. It has just greatly disturbed me to realize again that this Dad really had some issues! I do not in any way mean to trivialize the Scripture but this guy was some sort of a nutcase! He HAD to be! First of all, he lived in a wicked city and KNEW exactly where he was going when he headed there in the first place. Secondly, he apparently had grown rather accustomed to the sin that was all around him since he was well-known in the city. Third, what kind of father would offer his daughters to the men of the city for "toys" to protect his guests? I know - it was the custom of that day to protect your guests at all costs but to offer your own daughters??? And furthermore, where in the world was his wife when this was happening? Did she have nothing to say about Lot offering his daughters for such horrific acts? Fourth, when he finally realized that the city was going to be destroyed, he still "lingered" around! What in the world was he thinking? Even his wife struggled with the removal from the city since she could not bear to leave it without a look back and we all know where that got her!! Of course the story does not end there since we read on to discover that his two daughters were messed up enough by the sin they had witnessed while living in Sodom that they proceeded to get their dad drunk TWICE in order to carry on the family name!
In recent weeks, I have been simply amazed at the decisions that parents make without any regard whatsoever to their children. Selfish decisions is what it boils down to! When I look at the agony Dave and I went through while we tried to make this decision, it boggles my mind that parents think their kids can handle the consequences of their idiotic decisions! It can be something as small as being disrespectful to their spouse to something huge like dividing their family! I have so struggled with the thoughts of how people get to the point of making such stupid choices! But then, once again I am taken back to the Scripture (I think I have blogged about this but can't remember) in Psalm 1 where he says, "Blessed is the man that walketh not...nor standeth....nor sitteth..."! See - there is this progression...we don't get from point A to point F without going through points B, C, D, and E. It is a progression and I am amazed at the number of parents who just don't get it! They want their own way and they are determined to have it no matter what it takes! I have asked the Lord, once again, to help me see that every decision I make directly affects my kids one way or another!! Yes, there are still tears in this house and yes, sometimes we wonder what we are doing but I have been reminded that "righteousness will be to your children's children"! The choices Lot made affect us to this very day!! But the choice we make to live according to God's Holy Word will affect us for eternity!
I feel better - I just had to get that off my chest!!!