Life as a Christian Woman

¹⁵ With the coming of dawn, the angels urged Lot, saying, “Hurry! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, or you will be swept away when the city is punished.”

¹⁶ When he hesitated, the men grasped his hand and the hands of his wife and of his two daughters and led them safely out of the city, for the LORD was merciful to them. ¹⁷ As soon as they had brought them out, one of them said, “Flee for your lives! Don’t look back, and don’t stop anywhere in the plain! Flee to the mountains or you will be swept away!”

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²⁴ Then the LORD rained down burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah—from the LORD out of the heavens. ²⁵ Thus he overthrew those cities and the entire plain, including all those living in the cities—and also the vegetation in the land. ²⁶ But Lot’s wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.

Genesis 19: 15-17, 24-26

My daughter has a habit of walking in one direction while looking back over her shoulder. As a result, she also has a habit of running into things. I keep telling her to look where she’s going, not where she’s been, but that hasn’t done much to keep her from running headfirst into furniture, doors, and other people.

It seems like we spend a lot of our time looking back. We talk about “the one that got away” or regret the road not taken. But God doesn’t want us to live our lives like that. We can’t change our past mistakes or sins. We can learn from them, pray for forgiveness, but then God wants us to move forward with our lives.

All of us have regrets. But continuing to dwell on our mistakes doesn’t lead us toward God, it diverts our attention away from His divine forgiveness and purpose for our lives.

Look at Paul. Prior to his face to face meeting with Jesus on the road to Damascus, he was a persecutor of Christians, and frankly an all around bad guy. “Saul,” as he was known, struck terror in the hearts of those around him. But after his conversion, he became a force for Christ that still resonates in our world today. He often referenced his prior life, yet he put it into use rather than wasting away in a life of regret.

Lot and his family were told by the angels to flee Sodom for their own safety, and warned not to look back. Lot’s wife looked back, and was instantly turned into a pillar of salt. Why? Well, she disobeyed God for one thing. But it also serves as a lesson. When you are looking over your shoulder, how can you follow God as He leads you?

My prayer today is that we could all free ourselves so well from past failures and keep our eyes focused on the cross and our future.

The past has passed, and the future is God’s!