“The way a book is read — which is to say, the qualities a reader brings to a book — can have as much to do with its worth as anything the author puts into it…. Anyone who can read can learn how to read deeply and thus live more fully.”
~Norman Cousins


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I read from my scriptures (book), but you can find scripture reference here.

Friday, May 4, 2012

"look not behind thee" Genesis 19:15- 19






When you look backward what do you see? Is the picture clear? Is it reality? What are you seeking? It is one thing to look backward for needed tools or information that is necessary to live, it is another thing to look backward through lens that focus on remorse, regret, and destruction. 

If you are not looking backward, then you must be looking forward, with eyes fixed on a goal, with feet watching every step, and with energy and excitement for what your journey will bring you. 

I love history. Does looking backward mean we should not know our history? Not at all. 
Our history is an important part of our life. It is a record of who we are and where we have been. Life requires that we maintain a balance of our past and our future, by living in today.  When we become too bogged down in where we have been, or when we hold to the past with such fervor that it inhibits our ability to move toward the future, then we may be in danger of falling out of balance. We are counseled to "look not behind thee" in order to keep us on the right path. If we are looking forward we are watching our step, considering our actions. If we are looking backward we are remembering what we do not have, what we have lost. 

How does depression fit into this picture? or addition? or any bad habit? 

I believe depression comes  when we become so caught up in our own life that we selfishly linger in our past: possessions, memories, etc, and refuse to look forward - toward life. Addictions that cause us to live within the confines of a rutted cycle, never moving forward can contribute to depression. Bad habits can lead to addictions that keep us from having a fulfilling life.

Life requires energy. Life requires a new day- a goal- an opportunity to express to share adventure- to meet new acquaintance or to share positive feeling sand experience. When we are alive in the hope of all that is good or all that is God, we look forward.

V 15.... "When the morning arose".... a new day... God gives us a new chance with each new day
"the angels hastened"..... the angels quickened their activity to do good.
"arise" do not linger here in your grief ... do not be consumed in your iniquity

v. 16  And while he lingered... "  Lot and his family lingered in Sodom... in their bad habits.. in their sadness for loss of friends and family. They all held back and needed someone to "lay hold upon (his) hand" and help them. The Lord's mercy helped them do what they could not do for themselves. It moved them to a new and safe place.
v. 17.  "Look not behind thee." instruction for us all - I believe it means we are not to dwell on it to the point where it becomes a place of escape from reality and keeps us from doing what is needed to survive.

"escape thou to the mountain" ... put away your old habits of iniquity... the ones that have bound you. Put away the desires that keep you here and prevent you from moving to higher ground.

Although "escape thou to the mountain" is a literal phrase used to move Lot and his family away from the certain destruction, it also means that we have to raise our spiritual selves up to where we are safe from the lowly habits of the world. The mountain is where we may find the Lord and his goodness -the mercy of the Lord removed Lot's family to higher ground when they would were mired in habits that kept them on the lowly plain.
What could God's mercy do for me in my time of lingering? in my time of remorse or regret?
Where could God's mercy and grace take me if I would accept his leading hand?

"We will not dwell on the past nor will we shut the door on it."

2 comments:

  1. I like the idea of "escaping to the mountain." It's the idea of taking the high ground and also standing in holy places. Great post!

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  2. The mountain is where God instructed Lot to go. But he refuses and bargains with the Lord. (Next Post). It's something to think about. Would Lot have lost his wife if he had not let his fear guide him to Zoar?
    The mountain of the Lord... can be so many things. I like to think of it as the temple, where we serve and learn, worship and grow.

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