1\ “Don’t look back.”\ Today, the preacher spoke:\ about a man named Lot*\ who lived in the city of Sodom.\ How angels knocked on his door\ to warn that fire would fall,\ for the people’s way are evil.\ “Take your wife and family,\ flee from this place\ and don’t look back!”
So, Lot took his family\ and fled the coming doom.\ But Lot’s wife did look back-\ and became a pillar of salt\ which they say still stands today.
2\ “Don’t look back”\ I hear the preacher shout:\ emotional baggage weights you down,\ dragging the future into the ground.\ You can’t move forward\ while looking backward.\ The past is gone -it’s a “has-been.”\ Emotional scars and highs-\ Ethier way, both belong to the past.\ The future is your destination.\ Yet inner voices whisper:\ “If only my life had a better start.\ If only there had been harmony,\ then life wouldn’t be so hard.”\ “Really?” the preacher asks.
Emotional strongholds have a \ dangerous sting.\ Your past can’t dictate your future.\ The wisest step? Let hho of the past.\ Separate feelings from facts;\ be brave, but - don’t look back!
3\ “Don’t look back”\ the preacher echoes a new text:+\ “Forget the former things\ do not dwell on the past.”\ A quick glance back,\ a bit of remembrance.\ Remember Lot’s wife!>\ Her name is forgotten,\ but not her action!
4\ “Don’t look back.”\ The preacher’s final words touch my heart:\ “Each new day is a gift,\ another chance to begin again.\ Let God heal the pain,\ praise His name for every grain!
So, my friend, don’t look back with\ remorse - it leads to a stumble, a fall,\ pressing your future against the wall.\ Let the Holy Spirit repurpose\ your thoughts and feelings of the past\ so, they become fruits of living - \ not relics in the dark.
Emotional hang-ups can be stepping-\ stones to the future, or tripping stones.\ A glance backward?\ You trip.\ A look forward?\ You step into new!”\ So, again I hear the preacher say,\ “Don’t look back.”
(Scripture quotes: *Genesis chapter 19; \ +Isaiah chapter 43v’s18-19; >Luke 17v32)
Inspiration: Andrew Parrington’s sermon, Don’t Look Back,\ new life church, auckland, 22nd september ‘24
Photo credits: Stephen Douglas, pancake rocks,\ south island, new zealand, Nov ‘23