I enjoy watching sports (perhaps a bit too much sometimes). I remember watching a race where one of the runners glanced back, and I thought to myself, “If only she didn’t look back…” If you’ve ever participated in a race, you know that even a split-second glance backward can cost you the gold or silver medal you would have otherwise won. In that moment of distraction, you see how close someone is to catching up and panic sets in. Just like that, someone overtakes you, and you’re left with a third-place finish—if you’re lucky.
The same principle applies to life, faith, and embracing God’s call. Looking back can weigh you down, blur your vision of the future, and keep you stuck in the past. Instead, fix your eyes ahead. Jesus exemplified this by focusing on the joy set before Him, enduring the cross for our sake (Hebrews 12:1-3).
This doesn’t mean you are oblivious to the cost of the journey or the weight of sacrifice, but rather you choose to prioritize the prize above emotions, temporary pain, or suffering. Jesus undeniably felt the full weight of His impending sacrifice, yet He remained steadfast, anchored in the joy that lay before Him. His hand was firmly on the plow, committed to God’s will and assignment, with no room for looking back.
If anyone understands what it means to nearly buckle under the weight of sacrifice, it is Jesus.
On the night of His betrayal, just hours before His crucifixion, He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, fully aware of the agony that was about to unfold. At that moment, He pleaded, asking if the cup could pass from Him, essentially asking, “Is there another way?” I can only imagine Him wondering if humanity’s salvation could be secured without the unbearable suffering that awaited Him.
Yet, despite the weight of it all, He surrendered completely, saying, “Not My will, but Yours be done” (Luke 22:42).
This is why, when you feel the weight of your assignment and the sacrifices that come with it, you must draw strength from Jesus Christ—He has been there and done that.
Scripture reminds us that we have a High Priest who is able to sympathise with our weaknesses (Hebrews 4:15). He fully understands what you are going through.
Sometimes, I feel as though God and our Lord Jesus Christ became “more patient” with humanity after Jesus walked the earth as a man. He experienced every emotion, faced every temptation, and yet remained without sin. Through His life, He showed us that we, too, can rise above sin and temptation by drawing strength from Him.
On the other hand, Lot’s wife serves as a warning. The price of her deliverance was her home, her comfort, and the life she once knew. It seemed too great a cost, and because she lost sight of the fact that God was leading them toward a greater future, she looked back and forfeited her deliverance. Her story suggests to me that she didn’t fully understand that God is always in the business of making the latter days of a man who trusts Him greater than the former. In any case, she served as an example to the other family members to keep moving forward and not look back.
Ecclesiastes 7:10: “Don’t long for the ‘good old days.’ This is not wise.”
Lot’s wife was called to deliverance, called out of a city filled with iniquity, called to redemption. But as they fled in haste, she hesitated. Perhaps she wondered, “Am I really leaving all that comfort behind? All I’ve ever known as home? All our belongings?” In that moment of doubt, she did what she was told not to do—she looked back. And just like that, she exempted herself from God’s mercy and became a pillar of salt.
Looking back distracts you and keeps you from moving forward.
What’s in your past that’s worth missing the glory ahead? Apostle Paul, despite his mistakes, didn’t dwell on them. He of all people, had every reason to look back, to feel inadequate, or to struggle with the feeling of being an impostor in his new role. In fact, up until the day of his salvation, he was on his way to persecute believers. Yet, mercy found him, and God called him. From that moment on, until the day he left this earth, Paul never looked back.
Instead, he pressed forward and became one of God’s most effective servants. You, too, are more than your mistakes. God’s grace is sufficient, and His power is made perfect in weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9-10).
If God has forgiven and redeemed you, why are you still looking back? If you’ve put on Christ, let go of whatever is holding you back, including guilt, and focus on your new life. Forgive yourself and others—parents, friends, spouses, bosses, or in-laws. Let go of the past and move forward. Choose to live a focused, intentional life that honors God (1 Peter 5:8).
What’s ahead is far greater than what’s behind. Keep your hands on the plow and your eyes fixed on Jesus. There is more to you than your mistakes. Stay focused, trust in God’s grace, and press forward.
