Remember Lot's Life Part 2: How Turning a Blind Eye Results in Losing Everything

Lot lost his family, his city, and had no ultimate blessing in the end. Perhaps he will stand at the judgment barely saved from the fire, but having nothing to show for his life. So what did Lot do- and what did he not do- that caused him to be completely ineffective in this city who needed God so desperately? How can you follow Lot’s example and neglect your place as salt and light to your city? How can you turn blissful ignorance and conflict avoidance to an art?

#1 Refuse to see yourself as an ambassador of God to your city,

A sure way to make as little impact as possible is to live for your sweet by and by in the here and now. Lead a quiet life. Do well at your job. Smile at your neighbor. Play games with your kids. Attend church and Bible study. You haven’t been called to that at-risk neighborhood. Let heavy topics such as government, abortion, and the poor be taken care of by the experts. Live life focusing on remaining comfortable and prosperous rather than getting involved with messy lives and situations. Ultimately, Lot’s failure wasn’t choosing to live in Sodom, but choosing to live in Sodom because it would provide him a comfortable life rather than a redeeming one.

#2 Keep quiet about controversial issues and look the other way when others are hurt.

If you want to avoid a life of conflict, only speak of your beliefs- particularly regarding the hot topics- around your dinner table and to your friends that you know for certain believe as you do. Don’t do anything that may cost you your job, invite criticism or weird looks, or cause you to put yourself out. Imagine how mad others will be if you said you believed abortion should be criminalized! You might be accused of being racist or sexist….or even worse a religious extremist! You may not get that promotion, or you may be ostracized at school. There’s nothing you can do to help those being bullied and mistreated anyway. Might as well go with the flow. Though many poor and weak in the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were victimized by the corrupted greedy and sexually violent, Lot clearly did nothing to oppose the wickedness that was going on in his city. We think that if we just remain quiet and focus on our families, we will be safe. But when we don’t act according to our beliefs, even those in our families won’t believe what we say we believe in. They see no action, and thereby, see no God and an empty religious opinion. Not only did Lot not save others in his city from suffering, he couldn’t convince his own family about God’s reality due to his inaction.

#3 Appease those that are doing wrong

When the violent mob attacked Lot’s house demanding to have relations with the two angelic guests, Lot didn’t pray, didn’t ask the angels to fight, didn’t stand to fight against the men. Instead, he tried to appease him: “take my daughters and do with them whatever you like.” It’s bad enough when we see injustice and the suffering of others and look away, but it's even worse when we appease those that victimize others. Because if we can just give them a bit of what they want, they’ll leave us alone, right? If we let babies be aborted before the first trimester, then we can at least protect some lives. We have to play it smart. If we make too big of a ruckus, then we will loose our positions and relationships! And nothing is worth that!

#4 Don’t bother praying for your city

Again, ultimately, God didn’t talk to Lot about His thoughts about his hometown. Clearly, he wasn’t going before God to intercede for the lost and hurting around him. Actionless, prayerless, and fearful, Lot was too busy enjoying the benefits of prosperity and appeasing the status quo. But why pray anyway? What does prayer really do? I mean, we don’t have the time to spend praying for things that are most likely not going to change. Besides, I have a lot of problems and needs to tend to. God understands. Going back to the original question:

How do you want your role to play out in the grander story of Roe vs Wade?

If you want to make a difference, if you want to truly be pro-life, it’s not enough to be vexed. It’s not enough to just not participate in the killing of babies. Dietrich Bonehoeffer, a pastor in Germany during the times of the Holocaust, declared: “Silence in the face of evil is itself evil: God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act.”

To learn about how to make a difference in the pro-life issue, click here for Part 3.