September 15, 2021: The Trouble With Rearview Mirrors

“Remember Lot’s wife” (Luke 17:32, KJV).

I was introduced to the mirrors on my father’s car at the age of 16 while learning to drive. There were side mirrors and a mirror in front called the rearview mirror. When properly adjusted, the twin left and right mirrors allowed me to see advancing vehicles on either side. But it was the vehicle’s rearview mirror that permitted me to see objects through the back windshield. I quickly learned the value of this mirror in spotting objects to my rear, especially when parking. But I also discovered I could not drive the vehicle forward if I lingered viewing what was in the rearview mirror. Driving forward required that my vision remained fixed on what lay ahead.

Perhaps three of the most powerful words in Scripture lie in the verse above. They have kept me grounded over the years: “Remember Lot’s wife.” Lot, his wife and two daughters were given the opportunity to flee Sodom before its destruction. Genesis 19:17 gives the directive: “Look not behind thee” (KJV). But the allure of life in Sodom was not something Mrs. Lot could leave behind. She did not fix her vision on a better life ahead. One look to her rear resulted in her death.

The question for us is, are we learning to look to the future? Or are we allowing the trappings of this world to linger in our rear view? Fixing our eyes on Jesus is the only answer. His plans are so much greater than our own. Lot’s wife missed her opportunity. Let us not miss ours. Remember Lot’s wife.

Father, thank You for Your Word and its instruction for daily living. May we apply these words to our hearts. Amen.

Yvonne Curry Smallwood is a member of the First church in Washington, D.C.