When someone you trusted turns greedy

When Abram and Lot separated in Genesis 13, Abram got the short end of the stick.

Lot was greedy, choosing the most fertile countryside with the richest farm lands--leaving Abram to make do with the lesser business opportunity.

I don’t know if this happened to you in corporate America or inside of a personal relationship, but chances are, you’ve run into some Lot-types. These sorts of people are still operating full force, rushing to position themselves with the “best” people. They bulldoze, grab, and disrespect, trying to climb all the right ladders.

Like Abram, you’ve had to move into the wake of their selfishness, trying to make the most of the leftovers.

But don’t forget what happened to Lot and Abram eventually. Even though it looked like Lot was destined to succeed, his selfishness led to tragedy in his own family. Lot’s desire for the stuff of the earth lured him into the very heart of Sodom. And that’s where this sort of greed will lead all of us, if we don’t learn to master it.

The book of Genesis doesn’t promise that we will receive physical blessings in a broken world, but it does show us that God isn’t limited by the selfishness of others. Even if we suffer materially or physically, the Lord can create spiritual depth in us as a result.

When selfish people start to mess with our lives, it's okay to draw boundaries like Abraham did--letting some separation exist between his world and Lot's. It's okay to grieve a broken relationship and to cry out for God's intervention in the face of injustice. But we don’t have to despair when humans are suspicious, rude, cruel, or greedy. God knows how to grow a harvest on difficult soil. All is not lost.

Late last night, I was chatting with a friend of mine who has been mistreated severely. Even from the middle of grave injustice, she wrote, “We just have to remember to stay true to who God created us to be, even when the world doesn’t behave in the same way.”

This dear friend knows what it's like to live with a “Lot” who grabs up all the best lands, and for now, his selfish plan seems to be working. But even as she moves on into Canaan, she is clinging to hope in a God who sees and loves her, and she’s refusing to let the selfishness of others change the core of her character.

After we finished chatting, I cried a little while, moved by her rare goodness. It did my heart good to see someone make this choice. Her faith gave me the courage to take a few more steps of hope in my own life.