L
ot was Abraham’s nephew, and he
went to live in Sodom and Gomorrah
after parting from Abraham.
Unfortunately, the men of Sodom
were wicked, and God chose to
destroy the city. However, because of Abraham, He
spared the life of Lot. The angels sent to destroy the
city were instructed to bring out Lot and his family
before destroying the city. Sadly, though, Lot could
not depart with all his family members, he had
daughters who were married to men of Sodom,
and their husbands did not believe Lot when he
told them the land was about to be destroyed
therefore they remained and Lot left with his wife
and two unmarried daughters. Although they were
given a clear instruction not to look back as they
departed, Lot’s wife disobeyed this instruction and
became a pillar of salt.
Several things can be learnt from Lot’s wife and
her destruction. Firstly, whenever we look back,
we become rooted to the spot and unable to move.
Stagnation and lack of progress become the order
of the day each time we look behind us because
no one goes forward looking backward. Every time
you turn to look at where you are coming from, you
are rooted to the spot and not making progress.
The same is true for those who ‘sit on their laurels,’
and glory in their accomplishments. When they
do this, they are looking behind, at past events
and therefore rooted to the spot and not moving
forward or making progress.
Secondly, in the journey of life, ultimately, we
travel alone. We may come from large families,
have plenty of children, and lots of friends but
ultimately, we travel alone. People will enter and
exit our lives, but they will not travel with us, this is
painful but true. Lot’s wife did not understand this
and was obviously weighed down by the thought
of her family members left behind in Sodom and
unable to make the trip. Therefore, when the sound
of destruction reached her ears, she forgot the
command and turned towards Sodom where her
heart was with the loved ones she left physically
but not emotionally, and she was destroyed.
Thirdly, we must be prepared to embrace change
when it comes or risk destruction. Change
sometimes happens and suddenly too, as it did
for Lot and his family. Lot’s wife obviously did not
welcome the sudden departure from Sodom which
left her no time to kiss her friends and loved-ones,
goodbye. She was ushered out of the city without
any time to emotionally and mentally severe herself
from it. Thus, she turned back to her detriment.
Finally, we must be ready to step out of our comfort
zone, out of what is familiar to us, and reach for
the unfamiliar but necessary for our preservation
and growth. Sodom and Gomorrah represented a
comfort zone for Lot’s wife, but it also represented
destruction. She was at home there, she and her
family had embraced the culture of the people, and
this is evident because her daughters were married
to men of Sodom. Suddenly, she was thrust out of
the land, out of her comfort zone, out of that which
was familiar to her, out of that over which she had
some control. She had no idea what the future held
and what to expect, and because she was unsure of
the future, she turned to the past to her undoing.
Sometimes we must step out of our comfort zone
especially if it has become a place of limitation and
destruction and move towards a future unknown,
but, it is not a reason to return to that which we
have left. Therefore, my closing charge to you is
this; whatever you do from this point onward,
don’t look back.
DOZ Magazine
October 2017
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