One Last Look

One Last Look

Lot’s Wife

Read: Genesis 19:15-26

After the angels rushed Lot’s family away from the city, they ordered them to run for their lives and not look back. As the family reached the village of Zoar, the Lord rained down fire and burning sulfur to wipe out the cities. Lot’s wife disobeyed the angels’ instruction and looked back.

Was she curious about what was happening, or did she not believe that God would do what he said? Was her heart attached to the city, so that she looked back with regret over what she had left behind? The Bible gives only one sentence about her action, including her punishment for disobeying: She turned into a pillar of salt.

When someone tells us not to look, our natural response is a burning desire to turn our heads. Sometimes it’s hard to keep from looking back at what we left behind before we became believers. Old sinful habits that we once relished call us to return. As with the Israelites in the wilderness, our old lives of slavery might start to look more enjoyable than our present situation (see Exodus 16:3). But it’s often guilt and regret over our past that pulls our eyes backward.

Jesus said, “Anyone who puts a hand to the plow and then looks back is not fit for the Kingdom of God” (Luke 9:62). God wants us to learn from our past, but he also wants us to keep our eyes fixed on where we’re going. Dwelling on failed relationships, missed opportunities, or wrong choices paralyzes us and stunts our spiritual growth. When we accept God’s grace, he forgives our past and promises us a wonderful future. Why would we gaze backward when we have so much to look forward to?

I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on.

Philippians 3:13-14