Rachel Fisher

Luke 17:29-33 

29 But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all.

 

30 “It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed. 31 On that day no one who is on the housetop, with possessions inside, should go down to get them. Likewise, no one in the field should go back for anything. 32 Remember Lot’s wife! 33 Whoever tries to keep their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life will preserve it.

 

Reflection:

I will be completely transparent, dear reader. I submitted this devotional late. Some of you may recall me documenting my past strife in punctuality; unfortunately, my writings are no exception. Despite an actual new year of resolutions arriving, I am still up to my old, foolish ways. Except this time, the course of my narrative has changed dramatically.

 

When I sat down to compose this tardy entry, I began by listing my woes of the previous year. I jotted down my testament, focusing on the message of “things did not work out, but we cannot get caught up in our previous downfalls just as Lot’s wife did.” To be blunt, it was spiteful and insipid and immature. Nevertheless, I typed, for just as I do not believe Jesus disregards even the smallest prayer requests, nor does he discount any of our woes, specifically those related to flawed, Biblical characters like Lot’s wife.

 

And then my Grandpa died.

 

All those petty transgressions, all those resentful implications… suddenly became irrelevant. Maybe not completely erased. But genuinely unimportant. I can hardly stomach reading the first draft because it all seems so minuscule. Unrelenting, inconsolable, unavoidable: grief is all-consuming, and I frankly do not have the capacity anymore to revisit old wounds.

 

Look, life is too short to get tangled in the toxic webs of misery and frustration. How often have I gone back to maintain my possessions of negativity? How frequently have I held tight to my pride and kept conflicts aflame? In Luke 9:62, Jesus literally says, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”

 

How the heck have I not already transformed into a pillar of salt?

 

My grandfather was the kindest man I knew. He never–I mean never–had a bad thing to say about anyone. He gave everything of himself to serving our Lord, clinging to nothing but goodness. Perhaps it is faithful Christians like him who are the actual heroes behind the lesson of Lot’s wife. Running right toward God’s promise of eternity versus turning back for the things which only bring us destruction. Even in death, may we choose life. 

 

Prayer:
Holy Father, I pray for all the broken hearts of the world. May we feel the warmth of your light and love, never ceasing in our praise and pursuit of your holy name. Keep us close, Lord, we all need you to guide us toward forgiveness, grace, and mercy. Thank you for the gift of resurrection, on Earth as it is in Heaven. Amen.