Kids and Their "Lot" in Life

I was reading about Lot this morning. You may know the story. The "mercy" sand in the hour glass had ran out on the city of Sodom, the residence for Lot (Abram's nephew). But God is merciful to Lot, leading his family to safety before the fire fell. Well, as the story goes, Lot soon settles in the mountains and a strange thing happens. Scared about a childless future Lot's two daughters conspire to get their father drunk and take advantage of him in hopes of becoming pregnant. Sick and twisted I know but as I read that this morning my heart broke for these girls. As I see it they were a product of their environment like so many of our children today. I'm sure these girls didn't get a vote when dad decided to pitch his tents near Sodom where they would be exposed day after day to sexual sin of legendary measures. And what about the time that dad offered their bodies to pacify a group of horny, perverted locals that wanted to sodomize his house guests? Tell me that wouldn't mess up your sexual identity!  I put much blame on Lot for allowing his daughters to be raised in an environment that would corrupt their view of sex. Is it any wonder they acted as they did? Had they seen anything different.

And before we come down on Lot too hard, how many times have we exposed our innocent children to sexual environments that have distorted their view of sex. If you have no problem watching fornication on television don't be surprised when Junior invites his girlfriend to sleep with him long before the wedding day. If you feel like your stash of porn is an issue of "personal preference" and you talk about women like they're less then honorable, don't get bent out of shape when your daughter struggles to find a healthy self image and is drawn to men who view her as a sex object. She may have picked up from home that that was the way it was supposed to be. 

I don't know about you, but this story prompted me to cry out to God this morning and examine the environment I'm creating and allowing in my home. I desire my children, and I hope you do as well, to realize what a precious gift sex is and to treat it as such. I want my girls to realize they are more than a cheap sex object. I want them to realize they are a valuable child of God who is dearly loved. I want my boys to realize this as well and to treat women with the honor and respect they deserve. God help us as we try and raise children in a culture that has seared it's sexual conscience.  

On a side note, I found it ironic that the girls would eventually give birth to Moab and Ben-Ammi. In case you didn't know, the Moabites and Ammonites would become historic enemies of Israel. The lesson...sometimes we give birth to the enemy by our inability to run from sin.