Abram and Lot Live Here (at least their shepherds do....)

I noticed the other day that my two younger sons don't have the same Biblical knowledge of the classic Bible stories that my older children have.  That's for obvious reasons....they are younger, but by that time in my older children's lives, they did know the classics.  We had been reading a child's version of the Bible back then that takes all the chapters and puts them in story form, a great way to read through the Bible at a slightly more readable way.  I figured, I better start that up again!

So, we started right back at the beginning and are making our way through it.  We got to the story of Abram and Lot last week and we noticed some striking similarities to our own family.  Abram's shepherds and Lot's shepherds were fighting all the time - over everything.  They didn't like the fact that Abram's animals had more water, or more grass, or more shelter, than Lot's animals.  It was so bad that Abram and Lot had to intervene and even split up, "for there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram's livestock and the herdsmen of Lot's livestock."

As I read the story, suddenly this major revelation came to me....Abram and Lot's servants live in my house!  The fighting and bickering that go on over the most ridiculous things happens, what seems like, all day long.  "He has all the pillows for the fort!"  "She has all the Lincoln Logs for her building!"  "He took all the Lego wheels!  Now I don't have any for my car!!!"  As I always cry out, "Oh, for the wisdom of Solomon!!!!!"

But that day, the wisdom came to me.....I read the story and watched what Abram did.  He took Lot and showed him the vast countryside and LET HIM PICK where he wanted to go with his animals. That was crazy!  Why would he do that?  Because he had a right view of God.  He was also a man who disliked conflict and would do what it took to have peace, "Let there be no strife between you and me, and between your herdsmen and my herdsmen, FOR WE ARE KINSMEN.  Is not the whole land before you?  Separate yourself from me.  If you take the left hand, then I will go to the right, or if you take the right hand, then I will go to the left." (Gen. 13:8)

Sure enough, Lot looked and saw the Jordan in the distance and knew.  He figured he would pick the best land for his animals and their pastures.  He did not have a right view of God.  He was so selfish and inwardly focused that he picked what was best for him, never thinking God could have taken care of him even if he had picked the less valuable land.

Abram knew, no doubt, why Lot had picked that land, but didn't seem bothered in the least.  Such wisdom was shown in the whole situation.  I had to stop and explain what was coming to my mind immediately.

First - there was conflict.  We have a lot of conflict with my younger four.  I'm sure I had it with the older four, but I have very little recall of it and sometimes, in my foggy memory, they seem like they were perfect when I compare them to these younger folks!  However, knowing that can't be, I have to come up with creative problem solving solutions all the time.

Secondly, Abram didn't pretend there wasn't conflict, he dealt with it.  He was the older, wiser uncle. So I challenged my kids, especially the older ones in the bunch, to rise up and be like Abram.  He was the more mature of the two and had a view of God that knew even if he sacrificed, God would take care of him.

Third.  He did sacrifice.  He offered Lot a choice.  Could my children not do the same?  Could they not do the crazy thing and say, "Hey, you choose which toy or which pillow or which set of Lego wheels?  And I will choose the ones you don't choose?????!"  Nuts!!  My kids nearly lost it on me when I said that!

Fourth.  Abram was blessed.....after.....for allowing Lot to choose.  "The Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, 'Lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward, for all the land that you see I will give to you and to your offspring forever."  That's a lot of blessing!  Pretty much everything that you can see whichever way you look!?  Wow!  And why did he get that kind of blessing?  Because, as fearful as we was sometimes, he believed God.  Even when Lot took the apparent "best" land, Abram trusted God to provide for his animals and family.  Whenever there is a sacrifice, or an apparent overlooking of oneself, blessing often follows.  That is not why we should be selfless, but the pattern in Scripture is often that way.  When we obey, or when we are kind to others, or when we are selfless and let others go first, God sees that and we end up being blessed in the process.  Could my kids trust God for that?  I told them, "Who knows how God will bless you, but he often does in "kid form"."  That week my parents had let us know they'd be taking us out for lunch to the kids favourite restaurant.  I knew that, they didn't.  I hadn't told them.  I wanted them to find out what the blessing might be as they practised what I was talking about.

Fifth.  There are consequences for being selfish.  Lot got captured. "They also took Lot,...."  I warned my kids, do it God's way or there are consequences.  But, it was too hard.  Within minutes of my little talk, I heard a scuffle in the family room.  They hadn't done it God's way and boom!  Instant reminder!  I chuckled to myself.  I reminded them again, but alas, again, they didn't heed my warning and, again, another instance minutes after that!  What's it going to take!  I started to call my family room "Sodom" as every time they entered it someone got captured!  I'm trusting the constant reminders are going to sink in.....you can only get captured so many times!  One time I watched one of the older ones completely disregard what I had said, so I quietly again reminded, "Be like Abram." "Fine!" he yelled.  "He can have all the blocks!"  "Uh, I don't think that's what Abram would have done....That's good that you gave him the blocks, but not like that....That was definitely an Epic fail." Sigh....I wish sometimes I had soldiers I could call on to arrest my own kids at times like that!  I've joked about putting in a dungeon in the basement.  Our basement is already a little dungeon-y looking.  It could work.  I should add that to our renovation list.....dungeon in basement.  check.

So, lots of work to do around here still, but I'm just so grateful for the examples in Scripture and how applicable they are especially with this second set of kids.  There's hope, there always is hope. It's a new day!