May 17

Sodom and Gomorrah

            The two angels came to Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gateway of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them, and bowed down with his face to the ground. He said, “Please, my lords, turn aside to your servant’s house and spend the night, and wash your feet; then you can rise early and go on your way.” They said, “No; we will spend the night in the square.” But he urged them strongly; so they turned aside to him and entered his house; and he made them a feast, and baked unleavened bread, and they ate. But before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both young and old, all the people to the last man, surrounded the house;  and they called to Lot, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us, so that we may know them.” Lot went out of the door to the men, shut the door after him, and said, “I beg you, my brothers, do not act so wickedly.  Look, I have two daughters who have not known a man; let me bring them out to you, and do to them as you please; only do nothing to these men, for they have come under the shelter of my roof.” But they replied, “Stand back!” And they said, “This fellow came here as an alien, and he would play the judge! Now we will deal worse with you than with them.” Then they pressed hard against the man Lot, and came near the door to break it down. But the men inside reached out their hands and brought Lot into the house with them, and shut the door. And they struck with blindness the men who were at the door of the house, both small and great, so that they were unable to find the door.

Genesis 19:1-11

God had heard of the wickedness of the communities of the plains, specifically Sodom and Gomorrah, so he sent two angels to investigate. What they encountered was nothing short of evil.  It was not a single individual or family that sought to do violence against them.  The entire city of Sodom turned out to attack and abuse the strangers.  They did not see guests as much as they saw prey.  Lot tried to turn them back but their appetites and their aggression were too extreme and only through divine intervention did he and his family escape the mob unharmed.

The world is a frightening and dangerous place.  The first question that a special needs parent has when they enter a new space is usually the same, “Is this safe for my child?”  Are there fragile things that my child could break?  Are there open doors that my child may wander through that will lead them outside?  Are there buttons that they might push or sounds that may startle them?  Are there animals?  Are there people who view us as prey?  It could be the bus.  It could be a concert.  It could be a park.  It could be a school.  Everywhere we go my risk detectors are active until we get back to the safe confines of our house.

Working with my care providers, we would think through scenarios and potential risk areas.  Small problems could escalate very quickly into a crisis so we worked to navigate the small challenges.  Were they wearing the right clothes for the weather?  Was there ice on the sidewalk that posed a threat to slipping and falling?  What if they had a seizure in the parking lot?  Were the providers prepared and equipped to keep our clients safe?

 As my son has gotten older and bigger the threats have changed.  I am not as concerned about him running into the street or wandering away and getting lost.  I am much more worried about people trying to use and manipulate him as he grows into a young man.  How do we protect our children from the evils of the world without just locking ourselves into our house for the rest of our lives?

There is a balance that we have to walk between parental worry that is always looking for threats and trust that God is looking out for our children.  Part of our calling as parents is to locate dangers and equip our children to deal with them.  We cannot abandon the responsibility.  However we also cannot be blinded and paralyzed by fear.  The world is dangerous be we are invited to engage with it and teach our children how to engage with it as well.  That includes protecting their hearts and minds from those who would look to deceive and manipulate.

Is the world safe?  No.  But we can give our kids tools to be able to handle anything that comes their way.

A moment to reflect:

When you think of the word “Safe,” what do you think of for your child?  When are they safe?