Remember Lot's Wife!

"Lot's Wife" by
Sir William
Hamo Thornycroft

In the Book of Genesis, chapter 19, we are presented with a vivid cautionary tale about the reluctance to let go of the past and move forward in trust. Abraham’s nephew Lot, along with his wife and two daughters, are fleeing from Sodom with the help of two angels, who tell them, “Don’t look back!” Lot’s wife can’t resist the urge and turns into a pillar of salt.

Did you ever wonder why she was turned into a pillar of salt and not a pillar of iron or stone, for example? Our tears are salty; perhaps the fate of Lot’s wife is a message that excessive regret and grieving for what we are leaving behind wears us down until we are nothing but the salt from our tears. It’s also worth considering that salt is valuable because the sodium it contains is essential for nerve and muscle function; in addition, salt is useful in flavoring and preserving food, cleaning, and producing a variety of items such as pottery, soap, and chlorine. Thus, by becoming a pillar of salt, Lot’s wife enhanced the lives of those who followed her and was an enduring example of the need to let go of attachments in order to have new life.  

In speaking of the coming of God’s kingdom, Jesus himself told his disciples, “On that day, let no one on the housetop come down to retrieve his possessions. Likewise, let no one in the field return for anything he has left behind. Remember Lot’s wife!” (Jn 17: 31-32). As my friend, Marty Rymarz, told me recently, “I think about the Benedictine (and Buddhist) teachings on detachment and remind myself that attachment to buildings, people and ‘things’ of this world stand in the way of our complete attachment to God. It is hard to say goodbye to many things but often saying goodbye to ‘things’ allows a more complete hello to our Father in Heaven.”

We can’t receive new blessings from God when our hearts and our arms are already full of things we treasured in the past and relationships that no longer lead to the fullness of life with God. Trust is required to let go of our attachments — as Ralph Abernathy said, “I don’t know what the future may hold, but I know who holds the future.” May our head be clear of desire, our heart be freed from regret, and our arms be empty of possessions so we are free to embrace the future fully in the company of our God.