THE COST OF MEDIOCRITY
And as they brought them out, one said, “Escape for your life. Do not look back or stop anywhere in the valley. Escape to the hills, lest you be swept away.” Then the Lord rained on Sodom and Gomorrah sulfur and fire from the Lord out of heaven. And he overthrew those cities, and all the valley, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground. But Lot’s wife, behind him, looked back, and she became a pillar of salt. Genesis 19:17,24,26
Lot’s wife lived by example. She didn’t take God all that seriously. She believed Him enough to know that she should flee the city but not enough to believe the consequences of looking back. Is Lot responsible for that?
Not everything a wife does is her husband’s fault nor vice versa. We are each responsible for our own choices. However, the leadership each of us see modeled in those around us do affect us. Parents who mock God will usually raise children who do the same. Husbands who live a life of mediocrity will probably see their family live lukewarm toward God.
Lot had faith, but for the most part it was second-hand faith. He had tagged along with Abraham, seen that God was real, yet only followed God when it was convenient for him and his family. His last major choice had been to choose the land of Sodom for his home. He conformed to fit in a godless society, so much so that he became popular enough to rise to the status of mayor. What do these kinds of choices communicate to Lot’s family? “Don’t take God too seriously!”
As the entire family fled Sodom, no doubt they heard the roaring fire behind them. They felt the heat on their backs. They could see the glow of the flames out of their peripheral vision. The temptation to look back was strong. Talk about a show! Because she’d never seen her husband pay a steep price for mediocrity, her decision to turn around was pretty easy. It cost her everything.
If God has called me into the ministry but I choose to stay and work in a family business instead, will I be struck dead? Not likely. It will appear that I’ve gotten away with disobedience. But there will be unwelcome fruit in other places and that always begins with my family. Their eyes are always watching.
Am I flirting with what You abhor? It’s hard to even ask the question. Show me. Amen.
For more from Christine Wyrtzen and Jaime Wyrtzen Lauze, please visit www.daughtersofpromise.org
For more from Christine Wyrtzen and Jaime Wyrtzen Lauze, please visit www.daughtersofpromise.org
Originally published Wednesday, 31 July 2024.
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