Abram lived in the land of Canaan, while Lot lived among the cities of the plain and pitched his tents near Sodom. – Genesis 13:12

Today's Scripture Reading (August 11, 2021): Genesis 13

In her coming-of-age novel "The Outsiders," S. E. Hinton writes, "I lie to myself all the time. But I never believe me." She places the words in the mouth of her protagonist, Ponyboy Curtis. I read the novel when I was a young teen, and it made an impression on me. And I have to admit that I wish I were a little more like Ponyboy. I also acknowledge that I know that I lie to myself just like Ponyboy Curtis admits that he did, but I am stupid enough to believe my lies.

I don't think that this is just my story. From the portion of the human race with which I am acquainted, it seems to be a common occurrence. We know that we lie to ourselves, and we also know that we believe what we are selling. I laugh as the pundits argue about whether the purveyors of conspiracy theories believe their lies. Or is it just a way to take advantage of the gullible, either for fun or profit? The reality of life is that I think, eventually, that we all believe our lies, even if it doesn't start out that way.

Lot has a decision to make. Life would be rough in Canaan, but Sodom and her sister cities lived on a fertile plain. Unfortunately, where it is fertile is also filled with people. And for Sodom, Gomorrah, and the other cities of the plain, the people living there were also stuck deep in sin, and they believed the lies they were telling themselves.

Lot chose the fertile plain over a more challenging life in Canaan. And he likely lied to himself. Lot convinced himself that, with God, the where didn't really matter. All that mattered was the heart of the believer. He could live his life as a witness to those who lived in Sodom and the other cities. He could shape them to be good. It is a lie that we often tell ourselves. But instead, at least with us, the opposite is the more likely scenario. Our character rarely lifts the people we associate with because we are not strong enough. Instead, they pull us down to where they are. Rather than becoming like us, we become like them. It is the reason why our parents were so concerned with the character of our friends. The character of those we associate with will soon become our character as well. We are good at lying to ourselves, except, invariably, we believe the lie.

In the beginning, Lot chose to pitch his tents near Sodom. But Lot had been lying to himself, and by the time Sodom is destroyed, he is no longer living close to Sodom. He is living in Sodom and has become one of the civil leaders of the city. And God was going to have to do some drastic measures to break through the lies Lot told himself and bring him back to God. 

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Genesis 14