Lot’s wife was being rescued. She was being pulled out of a city marked by violence, corruption, and judgment. Mercy had come for her. A way out had been opened.
When they were safely out of the city, one of the angels ordered, “Run for your lives! And don’t look back or stop anywhere in the valley! Escape to the mountains, or you will be swept away!” – Genesis 19:17
But she looked back.
That glance was not just curiosity. It revealed something deeper. Her feet were leaving Sodom, but part of her heart was still there. It had become strangely comfortable in Sodom.
That is something to think about.
Sometimes God is leading us away from something that has shaped us, wounded us, or slowly taken hold of us. We don’t quite want to give it up. We do, but we also don’t. And even as we follow God out, we may still feel the pull to look back.
Back to what was familiar. Back to what felt normal. Back to the life we knew, even if it was not life-giving.
“Remember Lot’s wife.”
— Luke 17:32
Maybe that is why Jesus tells us to remember her.
Not to shame her.
To warn us.
There are times when looking back keeps us from walking forward.
Faith does not mean we forget where we came from. But it does mean we do not romanticize the places God is rescuing us from.
God’s mercy pulls us forward, and the best thing we can do is keep looking ahead.