Dare To BeChikamu

We can be so reluctant to let go of things, even though we know they don’t belong in our future. The start of new adventures presents this opportunity to all of us—the possibility of leaving some things behind that was once a part of our story but no longer should be. 

God gave Lot and his wife an opportunity to start a new chapter. They had a chance to leave their past behind and enter a future that was filled with hope. All they had to do was let go of what had no part in their new beginning...and yet Lot’s wife couldn’t help but look back. 

By the time Lot reached Zoar, the sun had risen over the land. Then the Lord rained down burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah—from the Lord out of the heavens. Thus he overthrew those cities and the entire plain, destroying all those living in the cities—and also the vegetation in the land. But Lot’s wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt (Genesis 19:23-26).

Lot and his family knew there were better days ahead, but somehow, the grip of what had become their normal was so strong for Lot’s wife that she hesitated in the place where she should have kept moving. She focused on what was behind and, in so doing, lost her chance to discover what was ahead.

The enemy specializes in these moments; he makes sure you look at the past with nostalgia that masks reality, so you never seek the invitation to new adventures and greater liberty. Satan has a vested interest in ensuring the stories God wants to help you write stay unfinished. 

When the enemy senses your boldness and your commitment to begin, he gets busy sending you postcards to encourage you to hold back, look back, and eventually turn back. That’s why, at this point in the process, you have to dare to be real—real about what that last chapter really felt like, real about your reluctance to leave that time behind, and real enough to begin what’s next without any of the baggage that should remain in the past.

Fresh starts can make us feel uncertain and insecure, and yet it’s often those blank pages that serve as the starting point for our greatest discoveries of who we can dare to be.