Tuesday's Child – Volume 5

Hey – here’s a question:  what – in your opinion – was the most sinful city in the Bible?  Time’s up!  Did you say Sodom?  Cuz if you did, you win.  Chances are, even if you said something other than Sodom (like Babylon or Las Vegas) it still would have been in your top 5, right?  Yep.  Because there’s no question those Sodomites were sin-FULL.  And I know this isn’t a pleasant question, but what do you suppose was their biggest sin?  What made God so mad at them?  Well, since we have a whole entire word that was taken from their name, you would think the primary issue was sexual sin, yes?  Perversion.  Ew.  Seriously, every time I read the story in Genesis, I just think about what an awful place it was and how glad I am that I don’t have to live and/or visit and/or pass through it’s evil, icky gates.

So, imagine my surprise this week when I ran into a scripture that further explained the sin of Sodom.  I’m not trying to argue that they weren’t perverse…but clearly, there was something else going on that was at least as distasteful to God.  Check it out:

“The sin of your sister Sodom was this: She lived with her daughters in the lap of luxury – proud, gluttonous, and lazy. They ignored the oppressed and the poor.”  Ezekiel 16:49

Now, in case you think this is just another case of Eugene Peterson flipping words around like hotcakes and not actual truth, here’s the sacred and holy NIV:

“Now, this was the sin of your sister Sodom:  She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and the needy.”

Arrogant.  Overfed.  Unconcerned.  That describes my country.  And me.  I am guilty of the sins of Sodom and I am in the middle of repentance – turning to go the other way.

No matter how many photos we look at and how they mess with our heartstrings.  No matter how many tears we cry or brochures we read or good ideas we let fly between our ears, nothing replaces actual movement.  Doing something.  Something big or something small…but something.

Here’s one of my favorite web sites that inspires me to move – I don’t actually know a whole lot about the organization, but I love their site  www.worldorphans.com.

Also, here’s a link to the King’s Kids Village blog – they have some exciting updates and you know why?  Because they’re DOING stuff!

I’m doing some stuff too.  I promise.  And I can’t wait to tell you about it!

In motion,

Bo