Looking back
There are two ways of looking back: one is life-giving while
the other is toxic and potentially self-destructive.
When we look back to “remember” what God has done for us
and how he has acted in our lives, we strengthen our faith and hope that God
will continue to be with us in the present and the future.
However, there are times when we are being called to move
on, when we are being led by God-blessed invitations, calls and inspirations.
At times like these, we may be tempted to look back and lament what we have
lost, to regret what no longer is, or even to recall pleasures from “the old
life.” Thoughts like these impede our motion forward, bog us down in thoughts
and can make us miserable, or resentful, or resistant to God’s constant call to
move forward, to travel on ground we have not traveled before. The take us out
of the “now” and lead to no future.
Two examples from the Holy Scriptures:
---Lot’s wife looked back and was turned into a pillar of
salt (Genesis 19:26). I’ve often wondered about the significance of the pillar
of salt. Sr. Genevieve Glen suggests that while looking back, Lot’s wife kept
crying tears of salt, and the salt eventually overcame her. That’s a pretty
good explanation, I dare say.
---Jesus taught that “No one who puts his hand to the
plow and looks back is fit for the Kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:62)
What kind of “looking back” might you want to avoid?
No comments:
Post a Comment