Stop Regretting the Past So You Don't Become a Pillar of Salt

Are you still regretting a decision you made in the past?

I have been there too, because I chose the wrong field of study. By my second semester, each day of classes felt heavy, and I even thought about quitting.

Because I was hopeless and confused, I then consulted my pastor. I admitted that I regretted the decision I had made.

Hearing that, my pastor said, “Don’t look back, or you’ll become a pillar of salt.”

“Looking back” in this context does not mean literally turning your head, but lamenting or comparing the past with today.

So, why are we expected not to “look back”?

Let us learn from the Bible about people who looked back. What did they gain, and what did they fail to gain, from that attitude?

1. The Israelites (Bilangan 11:1-23)

“Now the rabble among them were seized with craving; and the Israelites also wept again and said: ‘Who will give us meat to eat? We remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no cost, also the cucumbers and watermelons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic. But now our bodies are dried up; there is nothing at all except this manna before our eyes.’” – Bilangan 11:4-6

The event above took place after the Israelites came out of slavery in Egypt. They were the descendants of Abraham, the man to whom God promised that his descendants would become a great nation. And indeed, this nation later grew very large. However, they often grumbled, were quick to complain, and never gave thanks, which made their leader, Moses, stressed (Bilangan 11:10-15).

When there was a shortage of water, they complained (Kejadian 15:22-24). When there was no food, they protested. This time, their complaint was because they could not eat meat as they had in Egypt. The Israelites looked back, remembering the beauty of the past when they could enjoy many kinds of food. They began comparing the past, which they considered better, with their present condition.

2. Lot (Kejadian 19:1-29)

After the two men had brought them outside, one of them said: ‘Flee for your life; do not look back, and do not stop anywhere in the Jordan Valley. Flee to the hills, lest you be swept away.’” – Kejadian 19:17

But Lot’s wife, who was following behind him, looked back, and she became a pillar of salt. – Kejadian 19:26

Lot was Abraham’s nephew. Together they left their homeland, Haran, for the land God had promised to Abraham (Kejadian 12:1-9). God blessed Abraham and Lot with many livestock, so much so that the land where they lived was not enough to contain all their possessions.

Abraham then suggested that they separate and allowed Lot to choose his location first. Lot chose to settle in the fertile Jordan Valley, near Sodom (Kejadian 13). Before God destroyed that city because of the depravity of its inhabitants, Lot and his family were led out by angels. Yet even though she had been warned not to look back, Lot’s wife still did so and became a pillar of salt.

I tried to find out why Lot’s wife looked back.

Imagine living in very fertile land, with abundant wealth and a great many livestock. Then, suddenly, you are forced to leave that very moment, without any preparation, because the city where you live is about to be burned to the ground by God. You have no time to save your possessions, except for the clothes on your back.

How would you feel? Wouldn’t you be tempted to look back?

The sorrow of having to leave behind her many possessions, the unwillingness to let go of the past she had to leave, that is what made Lot’s wife become a pillar of salt.

So, what can we learn from the two stories above?

Why Stop Regretting the Past?

1. It will steal today’s happiness

Constantly recalling or comparing the past with the present will steal your joy today. If the event was bad, you will feel burdened and regretful, wishing you could go back to the past and fix everything. If the event was beautiful, it will keep haunting your mind so that your soul seems left behind in the past.

The Israelites lost their joy because they could not stop remembering the delicious food they got so easily in Egypt. Lot’s wife looked back because she could not bear to lose all her wealth in an instant.

In fact, they had another choice, which was to give thanks. The Israelites should have given thanks because on that day they were already free from the slavery that had made them suffer for centuries. Lot’s wife should have focused on running and giving thanks because she was not included among those who were destroyed. God even sent His angel specifically to save her family from disaster.

So, when you regret the past, remember that you have a choice. To look back with regret and sorrow, or to step forward with gratitude and joy. It’s your choice.

2. You will be stuck in life

Because it was so hard to leave her possessions, Lot’s wife was forever stuck as a pillar of salt. We may not literally be trapped as a pillar of salt, but looking back at the past will get us nowhere. We cannot move forward, and we may even be moving backward without realizing it.

But Jesus said: ‘No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.’ – Lukas 9:62

3. You can’t change the past, but you can always change the future

“Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize of God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus.” – Filipi 3:13-14

When I began looking back to the past, regretting why I had chosen that major, that was the moment I stopped moving forward. I was reluctant to move ahead because I did not like the course of study. But I could not go back either, because who can return to the past?

Whether I wanted to or not, I had to keep moving because time kept going. I could not change the past, but I could change my future.

So I made peace with the past by accepting it as it was, and deciding to pay the price for my mistake. After much consideration, I still continued my studies until I finished. I was grateful that I still had the opportunity and the funds to study, because from there, the door to my future would open.

What makes you look back at the past? If there are things that remain unfinished or still weigh on you, resolve them. If you have made mistakes, accept them, and do what you can today to repair their impact.

“Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.” –Maria Robinson

So, do you still want to look back and become the next “pillar of salt”? I’m sure you do not. In this new year, let us stop regretting the past and step forward to welcome a future full of hope!

* Church GKDI is currently present in 35 cities. We have Bible Study activities in every area. If you need information or would like to get involved, contact us at contact Church GKDI Official: WhatsApp 0821 2285 8686 or Facebook / Instagram GKDI Official

Related articles: Am I a Hypocrite?

Inspirational video: