Most of us, if not all of us, have had moments in our lives when we momentarily glanced backwards—maybe even for just a split second. Something caught our glance, we looked, and then it was over. No harm done for that fleeting moment. What we must guard against is taking more than a glance while attempting to move forward. Remember Lot’s wife.
Recently, I was stopped at a red light. I was patiently waiting for the light to change to green signaling it was time to go. I was the last car in a line-up of vehicles when all of a sudden—BAM! My car was hit from behind by a young lady who was moving forward while looking backwards. Oh, the peril of forward movement while looking backwards. Remember Lot’s wife.
For many years, I had a career as a second-grade teacher. What fun! During the course of a usual day, I was responsible for lining the students up to leave our classroom to go down the hall to a variety of activities—most often lunch, library, or physical education. As was protocol, the little darlings would be facing forward, the direction we were moving, but invariably, one student would be glancing backwards while moving forward. Without warning, the line would come to a halt for whatever reason and—BAM! The entire preceding line would be catapulted forward by the student who was moving forward while looking backwards.
In the Bible, Lot’s wife, who is unnamed in Scripture, is a figure first mentioned in Genesis 19. The book of Genesis describes how she became a pillar of salt after she looked back at Sodom. The story does not tell her reason(s) for looking back at Sodom, as they were fleeing to safety in the nearby small town of Zoar. What is significant is the fact that she did indeed glance back while moving forward and her peril was that of turning to a pillar of salt.
This story is from the February 2020 edition of White Wing Messenger.
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This story is from the February 2020 edition of White Wing Messenger.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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NEW JERSEY FOR JESUS CHRIST
Jonathan Olavarria serves as pastor of The Hub Church in Jersey City, New Jersey, a ministry of the Church of God of Prophecy since 2016. Jonathan has served in various ministry roles including summer camps, youth, children, Christian education, pastoral care, and evangelism. Pastor Jonathan is also a vice principal with Newark Public Schools. He and his wife, Noemi, have been married since 2012 and have been blessed with two sons, Adrian and Benjamin.
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