Christian Living
October 8, 2011 – Personal Treasures and Regrets
But [Lot’s] wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt. – Genesis 19:26 AMP
Abraham and his nephew Lot and their families left their homeland of Haran, located in modern day Syria. God was leading Abraham to the land of Canaan which God was giving him. During this migration a problem arose. Abraham and Lot’s farming operations had become so large that their employees couldn’t get along with each other. In light of this event, Abraham made Lot a proposal: pick out where you want to live; whichever way you chose, I will go in the opposite direction. Lot chose the beautiful and well watered area of the Jordan valley and settled there.
Lot eventually settled in the city of Sodom. We all know the story of Sodom and Gomorrah and how God destroyed those cities. We also know this verse about how Lot’s wife was turned into a pillar of salt when she looked back. My question is why did she look back? She looked back because that’s where her treasures were. Christians today find themselves like Lot’s wife: looking back and missing out on what God has in store for their future.
You see, Lot was a God-fearing man. He and his family had dwelt for years in Sodom and knew of all the wickedness around them. But when the angels of the Lord told him to flee and not look back he left. They had no time to pack their belongings or herd their cattle away from the city. Lot’s wife undoubtedly had regrets in her heart about leaving home and livelihood behind and lost her life because she looked back to where her treasures had once been.
Lot’s wife could have been thinking a multitude of things. “I wonder if the cows are safe.” “I wish I would have grabbed that new dress I just made.” “Did I leave that roast on the fire?” Whatever the case, she turned back instead of looking ahead.
There are things we all look back on and wish we would have done or said something different. However, we cannot change those things that are in the past. God would have us learn from our past mistakes so that we don’t repeat them. At the same time, we cannot live our lives on the what-ifs: in our learning from past experiences we gain wisdom and are hopefully more prepared to be able to do or say what God would have us to.
I saw a movie years ago where one of the chief character’s treasure was his past. This thirty-plus year old man was what-iffing his high school days. As a back-up high school football quarterback, he knew he could have led his team to the state championship if the coach would have just put him in the game. After that he also knew that he could have fielded college scholarship offers and even turned professional. Like Lot’s wife, he looked back.
I know the majority of us out there don’t have potential professional sports careers we think about, but there are things in our past we regret. How often do we stop and look back on our lives? We cannot run from our past, but we can definitely learn from it. Unlike Lot’s wife, God would have us moving forward and looking ahead and not looking behind us.
So where does your treasure lie? Are you trying to relive the past? Are you holding onto a treasure from your past? If so, it’s time to be like Lot and turn your back to your treasure. Listen to God and follow His directions. When you do, you’ll have a treasure in your life that will last forever. And unlike Lot’s wife, there will be no worries or regrets.
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