My mother and I have assumed a walking challenge for the month of September. We walk out of our neighborhood and onto the sidewalk of a busy street. The speed limit is 45, although one would never assume that from the indication of travel. Often the cars are going so much faster. Mom and I walk to a particular street and then we turn around and walk back so that we may reenter our neighborhood. On the way to our “roundabout,” we are traveling down a slight hill. Accordingly, on the return, there is a slight incline and it requires some extra umph to keep one’s stamina. Yet we also benefit the wind created by the momentum of the cars. As they drive faster than the posted 45, the breeze feels good on the more difficult portion of our walk, and it provides the drive we require to take the hill. Further, we pass a school, and folx are often attempting to turn into the parking lot from either direction on the busy street. The other day, when we were returning from our “roundabout,” my mother slowed down, whereas I kept moving. She said, “I slowed down to turn around and see if the car I could hear behind us was going to turn into the school parking lot.” I responded, “Oh, I didn’t look back. I could tell by listening to their speed that they were slowing down for us.” In this season, scratch that, in every season, we must be attuned to the environmental cues we are afforded, and borrow from them for our good.

Lot’s wife chose to look back (Genesis 19:26). Since she lost her life, we have no further account as to determine what she was looking to find or learn or determine or understand. We do know that in her curiosity, she lost her life. Whatever, she was looking for, didn’t provide her a lifeline to go on. We have been blessed to see the ninth month of what has been an incredible year. We’ve seen death like we’ve never quite imagined or experienced in our lifetime. We’ve witnessed job loss in insurmountable numbers. Perhaps most impactful for me personally, is the sting of seeing the lives of black and brown bodies being murdered has rocked me to my core. And yet amidst it all, what we are experiencing through all of our senses, God compels us to continue to trust Him and move forward and choose NOT to look back. If anything, we must allow the former to propel us to our latter.

What if the environmental cues are not affirming that things will be okay? I would suggest that it depends upon the cues we are choosing to notice and utilize as our guide. In the instance of walking, daily, there are cars seemingly rushing past us – just as in life, when it feels like we are standing still while everyone else is going about life as normal. Some folx move quickly, while it feels like it is taking everything to simply move up the hill, and return to some sense of normalcy. Sometimes, we stop because we are uncertain if our simple movement will cause our demise. The inability to determine the fundamental conclusion can will some of us to elect to simply not move at all, and instead long like Lot’s wife to gaze upon that which we’ve had before. I can relate. On last weekend, my husband found a mug I’d purchased for a sorority sister that I’d not had chance to gift. The mug read, “2019.” I jokingly said, “Who knew this would be a collector’s item?!” I’ve lingered in the memory of 2019 and years past. However, if I’m not careful, I too will be like Lot’s wife and miss the opportunity of what might come next. That which is pronounced through the environmental cues all around us.

While walking, we also are afforded the blessing of seeing others. People whose names we do not know, but are excited to see us out, like them, moving, despite what is happening in our world. We can’t embrace, but our smiles can touch each other in a similar manner. We listen each day as we round the corner for a rooster that crows from someone’s backyard. He reminds us of new mercy and grace with each new day – especially for him because no one has invited him to dinner (LOL). We feel the breeze of cars and benefit from their disobedience of following the speed limit. And if we are intentional, we can listen for the manner by which the drivers of the cars slow down and allow us to cross – just as God will. We don’t have to look back. God has always had our back. In the words of Maverick City, “Because you and I, got history – we go way, way back.” We don’t have to look back like Lot’s life, whether we are crossing a lot, a street, a driveway or a seemingly overwhelming ocean. Get this in your psyche. There is absolutely no need to look back. God’s got you.