Remember Lot’s Wife

The best things that come out of the BY Academy are beautiful women, and the Devotionals. Luckily, both us these both are available to us heathens in SLC. As most of the great women make it out of the BY still single, and all of the devotionals are available online. I often download the devotionals to listen to while running or for road trips. So, I decided to get the last 6 months or so for my time here in Guate. On the website they also have many classic speeches. I highly recommend checking the page out at speeches.byu.edu

The talk that has had the most effect on me recently is the devotional on January 13, 2009 by Jeffery R. Holland titled Remember Lot's Wife. Why was Lot’s wife punished? What was her sin? Was it simply for looking back at her previous life? Yes and more. Elder Holland masterfully describes the danger of focusing on the past. He describes the Wife as having no confidence in the future. She was scared to leave and simply did not trust in the Lord that what lay ahead was an improvement on what lay behind.

Here are just a couple of quotes from the devotional:

“Don’t yearn for yesterday.”

“Past is to be learned from and not lived in.”

“Faith is always pointed toward the future. Faith always has to do with blessings and truths and events that will yet be efficacious in our lives.”

He devotes a large section to forgetting and forgiving other’s pasts, so that they too may have hope and faith in the future. If we could all stop remembering the faults and problems and nit-picky little things and just move on then we would all be immensely happier for it. I’m so critical of myself and always pushing for better, that many times I forget those I hurt with my critique. My hope for the future is to remember the good and leave my friend’s and my faults in the past.

He relates a story of a man who is the brunt of all jokes of a town. After, leaving the town he gains his inner strength and confidence. Upon returning however the town beats him back into his old self. Elder Holland is pleading with us to let others change and become better. I add that we really need to lay off return missionaries. Why do we have to continuously barrage them with the question, “when are you going to be normal?” Why can’t we bask in their glory for as long as we can?

I want to add that I love Change. I push for it. I crave to see things improve. I critique my activities. Look for ways to tweak things here and there. I push people to see the better in themselves. I push other’s relationships when I shouldn’t. I love this quality about me, and think God would have has look to the future. But at times I wish I would just lay off put on the breaks and RELENT to others.

This isn’t one of those times, and I really urge everyone to follow the link and listen to his council. speeches.byu.edu

“Don’t be dissatisfied with the now.”