Blue Tint Glasses

Genesis 13:8-9 -  ⁸So Abram said to Lot, “Let’s not have any quarreling between you and me, or between your herdsmen and mine, for we are brothers.  Is not the whole land before you? Let’s part company. If you go to the left, I’ll go to the right; if you go to the right, I’ll go to the left.”

Abram and his nephew, Lot, and all their flocks and herds and tents and went on their way from Egypt to Negev and then from Negev to a place between Bethel and Ai.  I do not know the size of that place between Bethel and Ai, but in my mind I liken it to Albion, IA.

(side note: remember the days before Hwy 20 was finished and to get to Des Moines from Cedar Falls you had to drive through the ghost-town of Albion off of Hwy 14 and inevitably make a pit stop at the Casey’s cause it was the only thing around?  I think that’s where we pickup with Abram and Lot right now.)

So, Abram and Lot stop in the middle of nowhere and this middle of nowhere was not able to hold their possessions…they were too great.  In addition to having too many possessions, Abram’s herdsman and Lot’s herdsman were making fun of eachother, teasing and playing practical jokes on one another and began to quarrel.  Because of all that…Abram and Lot decide to part company.

Abram took initiative in settling the dispute by giving his nephew the first choice of which land he would like.  That stopped me in my tracks right there because Abram, being older, had the right to choose first.  He clearly opened himself up to be cheated.

I’m so dang competitive, I don’t know if I would have done that.  I’m the oldest of four in my family and when I was younger if it came down to the last piece of cake, and I had to split it with my bro, I would cut the piece in half AND choose which “half” I wanted. There was no way I would even think about being cheated.

But not only did Abram take initiative in resolving the conflict, he let Lot have the first choice of land.  And a few verses later we see that Lot chose the best share of land with available water even though it meant living near Sodom, a city known for its sin.  Lot was greedy, only wanting the best for himself without thinking of anyone else’s needs or what was fair.  And even though he chose the land that was “better” it was near the city of Sodom which was known for being wicked and sinning greatly against the Lord.

That’s life, isn’t it?  A series of choices.  And sometimes what we think is good can end up being the end of us.  We too can choose the best while ignoring the needs and feelings of others.  I’m guilty of it in both decisions big and small.  There are a lot of days where I sit around and watch sports all day.  Game after game after game, all the while we need groceries, recycles haven’t been taken back in months and then also my wife is left to do her own thing.

Lot chose the good pasture and available water and it seemed wise at first.  But he failed to realize that wicked Sodom could provide temptations strong enough to destroy his family.  Meanwhile, after Lot had parted, the Lord said to Abram, “I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone could count the dust, then your offspring could be counted.”  And Abram was given all the land he could see.

It’s hard to resist selfish choices.  It’s tough to put the desires of others first, even if it’s family.  It’s excruiciatingly difficult to open yourself up to being cheated.  But Abram did all those things.  He shows us how to respond to difficult family situations: (1) take the initiative in resolving conflicts; (2) let others have first choice, even if that means not getting what we want; (3) put family peace above personal desires.

May we all live with such wisdom.