Dear Lot’s Wife,
I’m not here to judge you. For centuries, you’ve been criticized, misunderstood, and even ridiculed. People have called you disobedient, nosy, and accused you of longing for the sinful ways of Sodom and Gomorrah. But I see you differently.
They don’t know what it’s like to have your entire life turned upside down in an instant. They don’t understand the word disruption. Just the day before this incident, you finally opened the store of your dreams after years of seeking for a breakthrough, denying material gratification and saving every penny you had. The tears you shed, and sleepless nights planning and strategizing, you finally made a breakthrough and by midnight the life you knew got turned upside down. First, Lot brings home these two strangers that he met under a tree in the town square, then the town weirdos almost bring down your house, and now you are being told to leave town – to leave behind everything and everyone you know, yes even Skippie, your Samoyed dog. No time to think, no time to say goodbye. And “don’t look back!”
How could anyone expect you to process that so quickly? I hear you in that moment, when you cried out in confusion and frustration: “Lot, are you out of your mind? My company just experienced a breakthrough that could change our lives forever!”
The Bible doesn’t tell us much about you, your struggles, or your dreams. It also doesn’t say you were immoral or a bad wife, so why have people labeled you these things? Why are they so quick to judge you?
But I don’t judge you LW (Lot’s Wife), I think I know why you couldn’t resist the urge to look back.
We women often pour our hearts into the things and people we love. We attach ourselves not just emotionally but spiritually to our homes, our communities, and our work. These attachments give us purpose, identity, and validation. When God calls us to leave them behind, especially without warning, it can be very painful and difficult.
I imagine that when you looked back, it wasn’t rebellion—it was grief. Grief for the network, the memories, and the life you built. The business whose fruits you were just beginning to enjoy, the strategy you put your soul into putting together, the community you have built around your work; and poor little Skippie who had no blame and didn’t deserve to be incinerated. You didn’t even have time to say goodbye, to process the loss of it all. You weren’t just leaving a city; you were leaving a piece of yourself behind. I get it!
So yeah you made a grave mistake I’m not gonna mince words about that, you disobeyed divine instructions and paid dearly for it. But it doesn’t take away the fact that your story teaches us a profound lesson: that as entrepreneurs, holding on to the past or to what we are familiar with can cost us the future God has prepared for us. That we cannot save a business or a model that God says has run its course, and that we need to trust God, yes even when it means being weaned abruptly from what has fed our sense of purpose. Remember Joshua also received a similar instruction after Moses passed: “Moses My servant is dead. Now therefore, arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them—the children of Israel.” So yeah your story teaches me to trust that beyond the loss lies a promise of new beginnings.
To My Fellow Entrepreneurs:
LW’s story is a mirror for all of us. How often do we cling to the familiar, even when God is clearly calling us to let go? How often do we long for the “onions and garlic of Egypt” while ignoring the promise of milk and honey ahead?
Her story challenges us to reflect:
- What attachments are holding us back?
- What is God asking us to release so we can move forward?
Letting go isn’t easy. It can feel like losing a part of ourselves. But trusting God means believing that His plans are always for our good—even when they feel sudden or unclear. LW paid a heavy price for her attachment – Zoar which was meant to be a transit town, a brief stop on the way to her place of rest, ended up becoming her final destination because she looked back. While we love to see God as a loving Father, He is also a stern Master. He is the same God who told the eager zealot, “Lord, I will follow You, but first let me go bid farewell to those at my house.” To which Jesus responded, “No one, having put his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” Let us trust that when God calls us to embark on a new journey, it is for our ultimate good, even if it requires leaving behind what we once held dear.
Finally, LW, let me say this: I, too, am in a season of being weaned from my attachments. God is calling me to embrace an unfamiliar business journey. The journey feels hazy, and I don’t yet have clarity about what to do. I’m worried about the impact this change would have on my business. Daily I wrestle with questions – Will I lose customers? What if I fail? Augh the unknowns are overwhelming! But your story reminds me that, though the process is painful and uncertain, trusting God is worth it. The reward of His plans far outweighs every detachment, every ache in my steps away from what I once knew, and every groan in my heart for the folders I have had to archive. His guidance, though it may lead us through difficult transitions, is always leading us toward something greater.
With love and understanding,
Gbemi
Index: Genesis 19, Joshua 1:2, Luke 9:62
