In most trials, there is some element of wanting to go back–of looking back to “better times” or to life before the loss, before the betrayal–before the illness.
We need to remember the lesson of Lot’s wife.
When morning came, the angels told Lot to hurry. “Get up,” they said, “and take your wife and your two daughters who are here; otherwise you will be swept away in the punishment of the city.” But he dallied, so the men took hold of his hand, his wife’s hand and the hands of his two daughters — Adonai was being merciful to him — and led them, leaving them outside the city.
When they had brought them out, he said, “Flee for your life! Don’t look behind you, and don’t stop anywhere in the plain, but escape to the hills! Otherwise you will be swept away.”
Lot said to them, “Please, no, my lord! Here, your servant has already found favor in your sight, and you have shown me even greater mercy by saving my life. But I can’t escape to the hills, because I’m afraid the disaster will overtake me, and I will die. Look, there’s a town nearby to flee to, and it’s a small one. Please let me escape there — isn’t it just a small one? — and that way I will stay alive.”
He replied, “All right, I agree to what you have asked. I won’t overthrow the city of which you have spoken. Hurry, and escape to that place, because I can’t do anything until you arrive there.” . . .
By the time Lot had come to Tzo‘ar, the sun had risen over the land. Then Adonai caused sulfur and fire to rain down upon S’dom and ‘Amora from Adonai out of the sky. He overthrew those cities, the entire plain, all the inhabitants of the cities and everything growing in the ground. But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a column of salt. Genesis 19:15-26 (CJB)
Sometimes we are like Lot’s wife. Things are so bad that God is having to rain down sulfur and fire on the place we were living, but we still think about that place with longing–we still think we might want to go back.
