In Genesis 19, Lot and his family escape the wicked city of Sodom, with explicit instruction from angels to “look not behind.” But as fire and brimstone rain upon Sodom and Gomorrah, Lot’s wife infamously looks back at the burning cities and is turned into a pillar of salt (Genesis 19:24–26).
Shedding light on the lesson behind this incident, President Jeffrey R. Holland taught:
“Apparently what was wrong with Lot’s wife was that she wasn’t just looking back; in her heart she wanted to go back. It would appear that even before they were past the city limits, she was already missing what Sodom and Gomorrah had offered her.”
I’ve never considered Lot’s wife to be a particularly relatable character. Why would someone long to return to an evil, dangerous city that was literally on fire? But then I read this explanation from President Holland: “Her attachment to the past outweighed her confidence in the future. That, apparently, was at least part of her sin.”
And just like that, I can relate to Lot’s wife. Because, for one reason or another, we’ve all unnecessarily dwelt on the past.
Why We Can’t Look Back
The account of Lot’s wife reminds me of another story from Genesis.
In Genesis 3, after Adam and Eve leave the Garden of Eden, the Lord sends cherubim and a flaming sword to guard the tree of life, which prevents Adam and Eve from returning to eat the fruit.
Jared Halverson, an associate professor of ancient scripture at Brigham Young University, explains that this barrier served as “a protection that granted them the time they needed to repent.”
It makes sense why Adam and Eve might have wanted to go back. After all, the garden was what they knew, and a hard life in a fallen world awaited them.
But if they had returned and been able to eat the fruit of the tree of life, they would have lived forever, never experiencing the physical and spiritual fall that was necessary for their growth. As Alma the Younger puts it, “The word of God would have been void, and the great plan of salvation would have been frustrated.”
Genesis 3 helps me understand that, regardless of what Lot’s wife was feeling when she looked back, she did it because Sodom was familiar. Instead of following God’s path away from that terrible city, she looked back at what she knew, a decision that both spiritually and physically hindered her.
I’ve looked back in regret over the mistakes I’ve made as well. I’ve also looked back with longing for past seasons that felt happier or simpler. And sometimes, I’ve looked back in fear, worried that the future will be as bleak as certain “burning cities” behind me.
But in Luke 17:32, the Savior clearly and simply counsels, “Remember Lot’s wife.”
He doesn’t want us to look back in regret, longing, or fear. He wants us to repent, to move forward, and to grow closer to Him.
In other words, He wants us to have faith.
Faith Is for the Future
Alma the Younger succinctly explains that “faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true.”
At the heart of faith is uncertainty—that’s why choosing faith can feel difficult. We are hoping for things we can’t see. But this is also what makes the principle of faith deeply comforting: it doesn’t demand that we know everything in order to move forward.
Faith lets us let go. It allows us to believe that, through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, things can be different for us, even when our personal histories may suggest otherwise.
“Faith is for the future,” President Holland explained. “Faith builds on the past but never longs to stay there. Faith trusts that God has great things in store for each of us and that Christ truly is the ‘high priest of good things to come’ (Hebrews 9:11).”
How to Trust God
So, what does remembering Lot’s wife look like in our day-to-day lives?
If we find ourselves continually dwelling on our or others’ past mistakes, we can heed this counsel from President Holland:
“Let people repent. Let people grow. Believe that people can change and improve. Is that faith? Yes! Is that hope? Yes! Is it charity? Yes! Above all, it is charity, the pure love of Christ. If something is buried in the past, leave it buried. Don’t keep going back with your little sand pail and beach shovel to dig it up, wave it around, and then throw it at someone, saying, ‘Hey! Do you remember this?’ …
“Like the Anti-Nephi-Lehies of the Book of Mormon, bury your weapons of war, and leave them buried. Forgive, and do that which is harder than to forgive: Forget. And when it comes to mind again, forget it again.
“You can remember just enough to avoid repeating the mistake.”
And if, like Lot’s wife, your attachment to the past is hindering you from looking forward, Elder Paul D. Piper provides a helpful suggestion for learning to trust God:
“Patiently continue to learn more about Heavenly Father, His character, His attributes, and His purposes. Look for and record experiences feeling His love and power in your life. … Sometimes the best way to learn to trust God is simply by trusting Him.”
Because of Jesus Christ’s infinite Atonement, the best really is yet to come. And it’s up to us to decide to look forward.
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