Don't Look Back, Sister

A reflection on healing, freedom, and fixing our eyes on what God is doing ahead.

This past week, I found myself wrestling with something I thought I had already left behind.

Old memories.

Past trauma.

Even moments from childhood.

Without warning, they began replaying in my mind.

The more I entertained them, the heavier my heart became. What started as a memory slowly tried to pull me toward anxiety and discouragement. I could almost feel myself slipping into a place I knew God had already brought me out of.

Then the Holy Spirit gently reminded me of a familiar passage.

Lot's wife.

As God was rescuing Lot and his family from Sodom, they were given one simple instruction:

"Do not look back."

Yet she did.

Not simply with her eyes, but with a heart that still longed for what God was calling her to leave behind.

She became a pillar of salt.

That passage stopped me in my tracks.

I realized that the enemy wasn't trying to convince me to physically go backward.

He was trying to pull my heart back into places where God had already brought healing.

Just a few weeks ago, during our church's women's conference, I experienced a beautiful moment of freedom. During the altar call, I surrendered years of hurt, abuse, and trauma to the Lord.

I walked away lighter.

Free.

Renewed.

Why would I allow the enemy to convince me to carry those chains again?

I won't.

Not because I'm strong on my own.

But because God's Word is alive.

It reminds us who we are when our emotions try to tell us otherwise.

I'm so thankful that the Holy Spirit brought that passage back to my mind exactly when I needed it.

It reminded me that healing isn't about pretending the past never happened.

It's about refusing to let the past define where I'm going.

I don't want to become bitter.

I don't want to live salty from old wounds.

I want to be transformed.

Renewed.

Looking ahead to everything God is still doing in my life.

The enemy loves to replay old chapters.

God is writing new ones.

Friend, maybe you've been tempted to look back this week too.

Maybe it's an old mistake.

A relationship.

A season of pain.

Words someone spoke over your life.

Or wounds you thought had already healed.

Can I encourage you today?

Don't stay there.

Lift your eyes.

Remember what God has already brought you through.

Fill your heart with His Word.

The same Holy Spirit who reminded me of Scripture is the same Holy Spirit who will remind you of His promises.

Keep moving forward.

God isn't calling you back to your past.

He's calling you into your future.

With love,

Sara

Honestly Modest

"Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing!" — Isaiah 43:18–19