Out of Sodom

Today in Sunday School we were discussing the demise of Sodom and Gomorrah and the story of Lot, his wife, and his daughters. Wow... That story spoke to me in so many ways. Praise the Lord for His love and mercy in leading me by the hand out of Sodom and into the safety of His mountain.
The long awaited testimony:
I was a child born into "The Church of Sodom." I lived in a world that professed to be righteous and wise knowing the Way. In reality we were a community riddled with terrible grievous adulterous sin. "The outcry of Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous..."
Indeed the outcry was great, so great in fact that it was heard not only by God but the rest of the surrounding world. A child was drown by her mother, several parishoners committed suicide, and the place was so full of deceit and even sexual sins which they tried to legitimize as "a new move of God."
Indeed God sent them warnings of His judgement to come, but most of the people wouldn't listen and they were blinded by their own sinful ways and desires. To leave "The Church of Sodom" was to leave "comfort", life, everything... But to stay was in Sodom was to invoke the wrath of God.
I must admit that we lingered in "The Church of Sodom" and hesitated much like Lot. God in His mercy took us by the hand and led us into the hill country narrowly escaping a fiery demise. There are some who looked back and didn't make it. But once again praise the Lord that for some reason He saw fit to grab me by the hand and drag me out of Sodom.
Of course there was the living in exile in the cave part to deal with for a while but I believe that part too has it's place.
Praise the Lord His mercy and grace.