But Lot’s wife looked back and she became a pillar of salt. Genesis 19:26 (NIV)
God spoke 3 words in Genesis to keep us focused on what’s ahead: Don’t look back! In Genesis 19, we read the story of Lot’s wife where she did the very thing God said not to do, and she was destroyed.
For the most part, it is not a sin to look back on your past. There are times when looking back is good as it can remind us of God’s faithfulness. When it’s a sin is when God says, “don’t look back” and you do, like Lot’s wife did.
“When they were safely out of the city, one of the angels ordered, “Run for your lives! And don’t look back or stop anywhere in the valley! Escape to the mountains, or you will be swept away!” (Genesis 19:17 NLT).
God was not only saving Lot and his family from the evils of Sodom and Gomorrah, he was offering them a new beginning. But Lot’s wife looked back. The Bible doesn’t say she was contemplating returning to her sinful past or just simply longing to return to the comforts of her home. But because she didn’t put her faith in what she’d been told, she turned into a pillar of salt. Looking back was displaying distrust and disobedience God’s plan for her life, and with that there are consequences.
Looking back destroys us too if we keep our focus on our past—our past mistakes, our past unhealthy choices. God wants the best for us and He wants us to focus on our future instead of our past.
What are you holding on to that you feel God is asking you to let go? Are you willing to walk away from the things you know God has told you to leave and not look back? Can you put aside those things that are in your past and look forward to what lies ahead?
A new beginning is waiting for you and it may be as easy as fleeing from your past and never looking back!
