I Thought It Was Just Me Thursday - Comfort Zone

I'm sure you've heard people say, 'don't look back'. I've found a few scriptures that actually agree with this same sentiment. It is important not to look back. In fact, it could actually lead to death, which was the case for Lot's wife who is the focus of this Thursday edition of I Thought It Was Just Me.

The setting was Sodom and the cast of characters included an angel, the Lord, Lot, his wife, and other family members. The Lord is about to destroy the city and he gives Lot and his family the opportunity to get out. As I am reading through the bible again this year, I didn't realize until this year how hesitant Lot was to leave as well. Genesis 19:16 states, "When Lot hesitated, the angels seized his hand and the hands of his wife and his daughters and rushed them safely outside of the city, for the Lord was merciful." Lot didn't want to leave either, but he gave into the angels and left anyway. His wife, however, still had reservations, which ultimately got the best of her and killed her.

Genesis 19:26 - But Lot's wife looked back as she was following behind him, and she turned into a pillar of salt.

When I've read this scripture in the past I thought, 'how dare she look back? Obviously the Lord was destroying the city for a reason and he was gracious enough to save you. In words of Fred Sanford, I thought Lot's wife was a 'big dummy' for looking back. Now, I read that scripture and realize how much sense it makes that she would look back. Lot's wife was looking back to her life and the things that she was used to. She probably loved her life. She probably was looking back at memories of her home, friends, lifestyle, hobbies, and well, her sense of self. Her comfortable life was being destroyed and inside, that was probably destroying her. She was comfortable.

I, like Lot's wife, love to be comfortable. I like going to places that make me feel comfortable. I open up to people who I feel comfortable around. I like to strip as soon as get home from anywhere and put on my comfortable clothes. Comfort. Comfort. Comfort. One thing you have to realize and Lot's wife died to realize is that what makes you feel comfortable is not always really comforting and a good situation for you. For example, have you ever been in an on-again, off-again relationship? Well, I was in one that lasted six years. You leave and then come back and then leave again just to come back in a few days or hours. It's craziness. But the reason I participated in six years of madness was because there was some sort of comfort with the other person. Although it was a dysfunctional comfort, it was a comfort just the same and well, why rock the boat.

Lot's wife was comfortable in her old life and by looking back she indicated that she didn't want to leave it. Over the past few months, I've realized how comfortable I will certain habits I've participated in for years. I shared in a past blog post about not always working out and doing it when I felt like it. Well, that was a habit - a habit of not caring and going on with life as it is with no regard for the future. As I approach turning 30, I know that I want my 30s to be different than my 20s, which means that my current comfort zone will have to be shaken up. Yes, I'm scared. Yes, I want to refuse to do some of the things I need to do to get to the next level. But as a praying Christian, I have to rely on those prayers and what God is saying through them. Some of my goals and dreams I'm not totally seeing. How am I going to pay for this or that? Where am I going to find the energy? What if I fail? I keep asking God these questions and he keeps wanting to show how he is God and can do anything. So that only leaves me one option - to step out of my comfort zone and into my faith in the Lord that serve.

I wish Lot's wife would have believed the Lord and not looked back. She may have had a life that she would have never imagined. Also, maybe her daughters wouldn't have taken the family's drama into their own hands and got pregnant by their father in the upcoming chapters. Yes, you read that right just in case you've never read that part of the bible. Go and read it for yourself. It's some hot mess! By telling you not to look back, I'm not saying you can't remember your past. Like a Pastor recently said on television, there's a way to look at your past differently where you can see the lessons and blessings from it. Yes, use your past as a teaching tool for yourself. I do it all the time. However, if you are so stuck in your past you can move into something God is calling you to do, then there's a problem.