Don’t look back
by Verena Johnson
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‘But Lot’s wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt’ (Genesis 19:26).
We know very little about Lot’s wife. We don’t know her name, but she has been called ‘Ado’ or ‘Edith’ in some Jewish traditions. We don’t know where she was from. What we do know is that despite the angel’s very specific instruction not to look back, she did.
There are a lot of varying theories out there on why she looked back. Some say it was a punishment and that when she looked back at the cities that were so evil, she betrayed her secret longing for that way of life. Other much kinder theories speculate she was looking to see if her daughters were following. Regardless of the reason, Lot’s wife became an instant pillar of salt when she looked back. It seems very harsh.
We can spend a lot of our lives looking backward for a whole range of reasons. Wondering ‘what if’, replaying actions and conversations, and regretting things we’ve done or not done, to name a few. The new one for this year has been, ‘If only I’d used all that time I had at home more wisely!’
We can spend so much time looking back that we don’t live in the moment and embrace all the joy and possibilities God gives us in the present.
Thank God that he doesn’t turn us all into pillars of salt but forgives us every day. Thank him that because of his grace, we don’t have to live with what-ifs, replays and regrets. In him, each day is a new beginning with new potential (Lamentations 3:22,23).
Dear God, I thank you that you are a God of forgiveness and new beginnings. Help me not to look back. Help me to give you all my what-ifs, replays and regrets, and leave them with you. Help me to walk into each new day with you and embrace all the moments, joys and possibilities you give me. Amen.
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