Me & Lot's Wife

Every month I receive and read the LDS Magazine, “Ensign”. I enjoy the articles that are meant to guide us through life’s trials, temptations and tribulations. They are always worthwhile, but I tend to move on to other things without retaining all that I should. This month, however, was different. One article caught my attention, the theme was “Lot’s Wife.”

We don’t even know what her name was, as she was identified entirely through her husband. I tend to sympathize with Lot’s wife because she was one of an Army of women that have no identity of her own. We all know her as the woman that disobeyed God and looked back at Sodom and Gomorrah as she was leaving with her family to avoid the promised devastation rained down by God on a wicked society.

The question posed in the article was “What did Lot’s wife do that was so terrible that God turned her into a pillar of salt.” Number 1, she disobeyed God. That was not a good thing, for sure. Number 2, looking back was not so bad, but wishing for the old way and not looking forward as God intended was a big mistake! In her heart she wanted to go back.

“The past is to be learned from, but not lived in. To yearn to go back to a world that cannot be lived in now, to be perennially dissatisfied with present circumstances and have only dismal views of the future, and to miss the here and now and tomorrow because we are so trapped in the there and then of yesterday are some of the sins of Lot’s wife.”

“God doesn’t care nearly as much about where you have been as He does about where you are and where you are going with His help. That is the thing Lot’s wife didn’t get.” Quote from Ensign January 2010

What lesson did this have for me? It made me realize I have been living in and idolizing the past way too much. It is a bad habit and I resolve to change that habit. I need to remember my mom’s way to handle life’s problems. She lived so much turmoil due to financial worry all of her life. I used to wonder how she could have such strong faith that all would be well. I guess you could say she had plenty of practice at it. She absolutely believed that God would provide and resolve the problems – and that always happened.

This is a matter to consider at the start of a new year – and every day ought to be the start of a new year and a new life. patj