Lot's Wife

By Cheryl Dickow
Catholic Online

The genealogy in Scripture is both fascinating and a bit confusing for those of us not considered biblical scholars. For instance, most of us know the story of Lot but do not know that Lot was Abraham's nephew. Lot's father, Haran, was Abraham's brother. Or we may recall that Lot's wife was turned to a pillar of salt but not know that Lot was quite wealthy when he and Abraham went their separate ways: with Lot settling near the city of Sodom.

What we know about Lot's wife is little indeed and yet what we can learn from her is immense. Here is a woman whose family lives in a city where debauchery, greed, and licentiousness are prevalent. Essentially, Sodom could represent any fair city today that is operating outside of God's laws. It might be my city, it might be your city. So, like Lot's wife, many of us probably live within cities that are an affront to the Lord. And, like Lot's wife, we have come to know and cherish our lives within these cities. We may watch the news and be appalled by the happenings within our city limits but, for the most part, tend to continue living in our cities. We would be hard pressed to move or to imagine ourselves elsewhere. Where we live is a part of who we are and creates the fabric of our existence. We seek out the good and try to remedy or disregard the bad.

It would seem fair to assume that Lot's wife had the same kind of feelings towards her city and home that we have about our cities and our homes. She saw the worthy and tried to disregard the wicked. Even when she was led from her city by an angel of God and told not to look back, her sadness, regret, or even curiosity got the better of her.

Imagine what her reaction would have been when she learned she had to leave her city, her home. It would have been only human to feel opposition to such an idea. We have all read countless stories of people who refused to be evacuated, who choose to take their chances against impending doom: whether it be from hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, or volcanoes. Maybe Lot's wife was like that. Like most people in the same situation, she probably left grudgingly, unwillingly. And, in her grief, made the fatal mistake to look back at what she was leaving.

Our lives are packed with the same predicament: God tries to move us forward but we keep looking back. Although the idea of looking back so that we are able to move forward in a positive way is certainly commendable, for the most part we tend to look back unproductively. And, like Lot's wife, our lives are often in ruins because of this instinct, this longing, this habit to look over our shoulder at what "was." Like Peter, who loses his footing when he takes his eyes off Jesus, we, too, lose our way when we take our eyes off God. Our eyes should stay fixed on God who is doing His very best to save us, often from ourselves.

We should not be surprised that God will always do what He has to do in order to deliver us from impending disaster. What should surprise us is how often He will try, given our stubbornness to attempt to do things our way and to settle things according to our will. Haven't we all faced circumstances that we would prefer to avoid, believing our knowledge was the ultimate knowledge and our plan the better plan? Isn't there a time when life has made us move in one direction when we would have preferred another? But when we are living for God we can trust His word that all things will work for His good. With that knowledge, that trust, comes our ability to be led by His Spirit into new and uncharted territories.

When we trust God we are able to move in those intimidating times. In His love our fears do not immobilize us. With our confidence placed firmly in Him we are able to let go of the past, knowing that all it held has brought us to this place with Him, right here, right now. We must always believe in His providence and have faith in His ultimate love for us. And so, when guided by the Spirit, we progress, we forge ahead. And, like Lot's wife, we are better to leave the past behind. We need to keep our eye on the future and our focus on God.

But do we look back? Of course we do. And don't these glimpses of the past haunt us? They most certainly do. But Lot's wife is here to remind us, in no uncertain terms, that the past is just that: past. The purpose of our past is to learn from it but be willing to give it over to God when it is too much to bear. In that way we are able to be most fully alive in the present, which is truly a gift from God.

Did Lot's wife suffer the ultimate consequences for that brief glimpse of what she was leaving behind? She did. And don't we, when we nurture that part of ourselves that finds comfort in our own sorrows, or our own martyrdoms, also suffer consequences? We absolutely do. Are they the ultimate consequences? They are in that they keep us from living for God's glory in the here and now. They hinder us from the joy that God has in mind for our lives. And in that way, they continually alter our relationship with God.

Consider the time we spend nursing old wounds as if our very life depended on them. Too often we use them as excuses for our current dilemmas. We don't want to learn from them but prefer to lean on them. We nurture them, tend to them, and stash them away for a rainy day. We don't allow them to die for fear we will need them. We allow them to fester until they become ailments in our physical bodies. We allow those wounds, instead of the Holy Spirit, to take hold of us and lead our tomorrows. Too much of the time that should be given to God, and to the people He has brought into our lives, is spent in idle pity or in sorrow for what might have been or what will never be.

Does this mean we shouldn't allow ourselves to rightfully mourn certain things in our lives? Of course it doesn't. There are volumes of works published on the healing characteristics of forgiveness. Let us remind ourselves that Jesus came for those of us who need His healing, whether physical or emotional. It would be foolish for us to abandon this offering.

Indeed, we should turn over our repentant or saddened hearts to Him. We should learn from our past experiences, whether perpetuated by us or upon us, and create a better future for ourselves through Christ. We should also loosen our grip on our old wounds. Let us enjoin our tragedies and sadness with the death of Jesus on the cross. And in so doing, we place these things at Christ's feet where they might be washed away in the blood and water of His wounds.

This allows us, then, a starting point, our own earthly resurrection, in which we will be able to enjoy God's gift of life and friendship in new and deeper ways. And as those wounds resurface, because they most assuredly will, we continually give them over to Jesus. In that way we show, through our words and our spiritual actions, our complete trust in Him.

As often happens, the Old Testament foreshadows messages in the New Testament. We might consider the message of Lot's wife, with its dire consequences, to be a forerunner to the simple but succinct verse regarding Simon's mother-in-law. That same message of "letting go and moving on" is made rather quickly in Luke 4:38-39.

Jesus left the synagogue and went to the home of Simon. Now Simon's mother-in-law was suffering from a high fever, and they asked Jesus to help her. So he bent over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her. She got up at once and began to wait on them.

We don't read that they all sat around and marveled at what had just happened. Simon's mother-in-law didn't go on and on about her near death experience. In fact, it is quite telling that there were no reactions whatsoever. Indeed, the faith of those who asked Jesus for His help was such that they simply knew it would be forthcoming and successful. Business was at hand. It, once again, shows us the reciprocal nature of our relationship with Christ. On the one hand He does for us so that we can do for others. On the other hand when we do for others we open the floodgates for Him to do for us. It becomes all about "doing," about action. When the faith in our heart is so incredibly strong, love and compassion drive our actions. It is as if we can't do enough for others because our love for Jesus, and seeing Him in everyone, propels us forward. We pray for others, we counsel others, we help one another, and we show compassion and mercy. We live for Christ in the purest of ways. We don't lose our todays to our yesterdays. We become thankful for what the past held and what we learned from it and then express gratitude for a new day to glorify the Lord.

Simon's mother-in-law shows us, like Lot's wife, that our goal is to move forward to do the work of Jesus, whatever that might entail. For her, it was caring for those around her. For us it might be the same but in a different capacity; maybe as a supervisor or as a colleague. However, we live in a secular world that gives us a message that is in direct opposition to the message in Scripture. We are often encouraged to win-at-all-costs or to accept callousness as a "life lesson." Through scripture passages, however, we are encouraged to take the spotlight off of ourselves and shine it on others who might benefit from our care, our time, and our focus. We can surely count on God's Word that in that way we are ultimately helping ourselves. He knows what works!

Lot's wife, just like Simon's mother-in-law, prods us to let our yesterdays go. She reminds us that, in looking back, we sacrifice the future. A future meant for God. Without ambiguity, Lot's wife forces our focus ahead, leaving what should be behind us, behind us. Combined with Jesus' death on the cross, we should allow the pain or sadness from our yesterdays to be washed away in His blood. We then can eagerly anticipate each day as a chance to live in the joy and peace that Jesus gave us through His death and resurrection.

Lord,

You work all things for Your good.

May all my yesterdays serve Your purpose
and work together
to bring me always to You.

May my focus today be on You
and Your will in my life.

May all my todays belong only to You.

I give You praise and thanksgiving for this day.

My faith is placed firmly in You
as I open my heart to the guidance
of the Holy Spirit.

May all my works give glory to You
and in all ways
serve Your greater good.

Amen.

Letting Go Activity

Brainstorm a list of adjectives that describe feelings you know you must now give over to God in order to continue on your journey. Ask God to show you what you must now turn over to Him. They are roadblocks that are ready to be torn down. During your next quiet time with God, read your list to Him. Ask Him for deliverance from these impediments. Prayerfully trust in Him.

________________

This chapter, "Lot's Wife, is an excerpt from Cheryl Dickow's book, "Reclaiming Your Christian Self in a Secular World: A Woman's Worth." Cheryl received an award from Catholic Press for gender issues with this book. She is an author, speaker, and a facilitator for the national Catholic women's program called ENDOW, Educating on the Nature and Dignity of Women. Cheryl's website is www.AskKnockSeek.com and her book is available through Amazon.

Contact

Ask, Knock, and Seek
http://www.AskKnockSeek.com MI, US
Cheryl Dickow - author and speaker, 248 917.3865

Email

cheryl@AskKnockSeek.com

Keywords

letting go

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