Blending In

Day 8 reading assignment:
Gen 18:16-19:38
Matt 6:25-7:14
Psalm 8:1-9
Proverbs 2:6-15

I was late for church this morning because I HAD to drive through Starbucks for my morning coffee.  Then I nearly mowed an elderly gentleman down in the crosswalk .  I had to refrain from screaming, "Get outa the way I'm late for church!!"  Something in this scenario seemed askew but hey, I didn't have time to figure it out .  I WAS LATE!

After a full day of fun, family things I got home to do the reading and was feeling overwhelmed about  running 2 days behind on this blog .  I began this quest Sept 3rd, I should be on day ten's reading by now.   I'm hoping if I just keep plugging along I will get caught up.  I turned on my computer and read these internet headlines:
     Paris Hilton was immortalized this week when the new addition of the "Oxford Book of Quotes" hit the shelves and her contribution wasn't simply "That's Hot."  The book includes her quote: "Dress cute wherever you go, life is too short to blend in." This breaking news was courtesy of  some celebrity web sight called OMG!  I gagged.

I went on with my reading assignment in Genesis and even though I have read these passages before, this time certain things have a different impact on me.  Lot's life, for instance, was despicable.  He lived so long, so closely rooted to Sodom he had become desensitized to the abhorrent  behaviors and common practices of this place.  Rather than standing out from the rest he just began blending in.  The application in my bible said:  "Lot was no longer a believable witness for God. He had compromised to the point that he was almost useless for God."

I read somewhere that many times when we dislike someone's behavior it's because they are mirroring something we don't like about ourselves. I hate how much I dislike Lot.  At the first glimpse I didn't like this guy.  I simply cannot relate to this person and the choices he made.  As I so eloquently stated a couple of posts ago; 'Lot is a schmuck.'  And then it smacks me.  I am beginning to hate these ah ha moments. I can get on my private soapbox any day of the week about how obsessed Americans are with their pleasures and comforts.  The "I love it, I want it, I  gotta have it" mentality is common.  It isn't just about big ticket items, we have demanding expectations over the insignificant as well.  How many times have I stood behind the woman in Starbucks ordering her triple shot, half caf, no foam, sugar-free, non-fat latte.  That's a far cry from a double tall, non-fat, one pump classic latte right?  In a self-centered society it's important to believe that I am more important than you which makes my time incredibly important.  I was late for church this morning because I HAD to get my coffee.  I couldn't deprive myself for an hour. Then my self-importance justified my indignation at the gentleman in the crosswalk.  I, like Lot, have allowed my environment to shape me.  I blend in.

It sickens me that we live in a culture that has the ability to take ignorance, family wealth and an infamous internet video, and create a public icon.  But maybe Paris got one thing right.  Life is too short to blend in.