But Lot's wife looked back and turned into a pillar of salt.
Genesis 19:26 (The Message)
If you're not familiar with this story, here's a little background for you:
Due to the horrific sin in Sodom & Gomorrah, God planned to destroy both cities. God had earlier revealed His plan of destruction to Abraham, who pleaded with God to save Lot & his family. So shortly before the cities were to be destroyed, God sent angels to warn Lot & his family & to help them get out. As these angels were helping them out of the city, they warned them to run for their lives & not look back, or they'd be swept away. But as you read in the verse above, Lot's wife, whose name isn't even revealed, looked back and inevitably turned into a pillar of salt.
You see, Lot & his family had accumulated a LOT of possessions & were quite weathly. Earlier scripture shares that they chose to live in Sodom because the land was so amazing, despite the fact that they were aware of the horrific sinfulness of those living there. They were caught up in the things of this world, their "stuff." So when they were told to flee & leave everything behind, Lot's wife was still focused on her "stuff." Her heart was still with the pleasures & possessions she was leaving behind, to the point that she lost her life.
Let me share one more passage with you.
It was the same in the time of Lot - the people carrying on, having a good time, business as usual right up to the day Lot walked out of Sodom and a firestorm swept down and burned everything to a crisp. That's how it will be - sudden, total - when the Son of Man (Jesus) is revealed. When the Day arrives and you're out working in the yard, don't run into the house to get anything. And if you're out in the field, don't go back and get your coat. Remember what happened to Lot's wife! If you grasp and cling to life on your terms, you'll lose it, but if you let that life go, you'll get life on God's terms.
Luke 17: 28-33 (The Message)
I don't know about you, but I have a LOT of stuff........only a small fraction of which you've seen on my blog. It's easy sometimes to get caught up in all of the "stuff"........whether it be possessions or just life itself. I spend a LOT of time, energy, & resources on this "stuff"......shopping, buying, decorating, organizing, & re-organizing to make it all fit, getting rid of a few things to free up space, just so I can fill it up with more "stuff" in the future, and then once again organizing it (and the cycle continues). Can any of you relate?
In the midst of all it, I often have to remind myself what the real purpose of life is, why we are here, what's really important.
"Stuff" is fine, but it's a little like salt: it can add a little flavor to your life, but doesn't have much substance to it, and too much of it can be bad for your health!
So today I'm reminded that the only thing that truly matters in this life is my relationship with God........everything else is just "salt." I pray that I never let my stuff become more important than my God. I would much prefer to get life on God's terms, than on my own! And at the end of the day, I want to have a life of substance, a life built on my relationship with God, not simply a pillar of salt.
