Lot's Wife

Here it seems unlikely that I would be turned into a pillar of salt. Maybe instead I would be a pillar of ice. If I have lost you, let me confide that I understand the Biblical account in Genesis 19 of Mrs. Lot turning back to look at Sodom better than ever. The analogy isn’t perfect, but I really feel as if God has warned me that once we move, my heart needs to move with it. I have loved it here. Over the dozen moves I’ve made, this is by far my favorite place to have lived. The weather is flip-flopped from down south. You spend all summer outside here, but wear a bathrobe over your clothes daily in the winter (or at least, I do). Due to the climate, people still read here. The libraries are fabulous and the used bookstore with its 50 cent books will be forever missed. Of the two churches we have attended I have been struck by the maturity of the believers and the meat of the services. The downtown has swanky eateries and cool boutiques. It is the perfect size town with loads of shopping, but no traffic. And the fact that Dutch immigrants established themselves here over 100 years ago, most of the houses are very tidy and incredibly charming with their steep roofs and window boxes. The parks are a child’s paradise, because there are no mosquitoes. In 4 ½ years, I haven’t seen one roach in the house either. Don’t think I have forgotten what a tropical climate does for the bugs. They have a party. Yes, at my expense.

All said, we are moving back to Texas. I am still struggling with the fact. But when Lot’s wife was told to pack up, she was strictly warned not to look back. Okay, maybe physical destruction is not imminent for Kazoo, but economic destruction has already taken its toll. Bad government decisions, high taxes and corporate discrimination are destroying Michigan. Like Sodom, the inhabitants have brought the punishment on themselves. Now, I understand Lot’s wife who loved the comfort of her house and the familiarity of her city. Maybe she had grown hardened to the vileness around her. Intellectually I know her happiness was not as important as her holiness. God, in his mercy, was taking her out of a place that wasn't good for her. Yet it is hard to flee something you love. Once you start obeying, it is equally hard to stay the course and not glance back. My friends, I don’t want to be a pillar of ice. How tragic to be frozen in the past. Pray for me. I know God has prepared a new place for us, but even so I struggle.