Today we are remembering Lot’s wife as Christ our Savior admonished us to do in Luke 17.
I must say it would be hard for any mother to leave her children behind knowing the destruction to come.
When bad things happen, when close loved ones make life-destroying decisions, we can easily get caught up in looking back.
Looking back at what might have been. Looking back at what I could have done differently. Looking back at all of the circumstances leading up to a multitude of bad choices.
And when we are caught up in looking back, we paralyze ourselves for present and possible future use.
I know many say she looked back because she was going to miss the beguiling lifestyle of Sodom. As a mother, I have a hard time with that one. Her adult children made a decision to not heed the warnings of the coming destruction. They stayed behind and she had to leave.
When your adult children choose a life that ultimately leads to destruction:
Do not blame God or others. This, in and of itself, is looking back. Was she looking back at the decision her husband made to settle the family in Sodom? Was she wondering how Abraham could have handled the situation between his servants and Lot’s servants differently? Was she blaming her sons-in-law for not heeding the warnings? After all her children would not have ended up this way if it had not been for . . . Well, you’ll have to fill in the blank for that one.
Do not blame yourself. Yes, you could have done things differently. Yes, we can all get caught up in a worldly life-style. Yes, this is a good time for soul cleansing alone with God. But it is also a time to bask in the love, forgiveness and everlasting mercy of Almighty God. A time to be comforted by the great Comforter. (John 14:16)
Do not blame your children. Love them. Pray for them. Leave them in God’s very capable hands.
Do not forget the ones you have. Pour yourself into them. Lot and his wife had two more daughters. Two daughters left without a mother. What if she had continued on with the two girls she had? I imagine just her presence in the cave could have made a difference in their choices.
Love God with all your heart, soul and mind. Love His Word and cling to the promises written for your comfort and guidance during times of loss. If we “set the Lord always before” us, we are less likely to get caught up in looking back.
The bottom line is Mrs. Lot could not save the life she once had by looking back.
“Remember Lot's wife. Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it.”
Luke 17:32-33
Was Lot’s wife destroyed? I would have a tendency to say that I think not. She did not perish in the fire and brimstone of Sodom and Gomorrah. She was preserved as a lasting reminder to us all to not look back.
Loser Bible Study Series Theme Verse:
“For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it.” Mark 8:35
“Lose” from the Greek word “Apollymi” means “to destroy fully.” It is translated lose in Luke 17:33a, our verse for today.