Jesus said to him, No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back [to the things behind] is fit for the kingdom of God. – Luke 9:62, Amplified Bible

It is so easy to look back, and we do it all of the time. God gives us a work to do, and we obey His call. Then, due to some longing or trial or temptation, we look back with adoring eyes on the people and places we left in order to serve The Lord. The leeks and onions of Egypt seem so lovely, and we begin to wonder if the work of God is worth it. We seriously consider turning back to a life of ease and familiarity, leaving the work of God behind.

It is so easy to look back, but God is hard on us when we do so. In Luke 9:62, Jesus calls us unfit for duty when we look back. In Genesis 19:26, God turned Lot’s wife into a pillar of salt for looking back. And, each time the Israelites desired to leave God and Moses for a return trip to Egypt, God was infuriated.

At first glance, we don’t understand why God gets so mad when we look back. “Things are tough! Can’t God understand how we feel?” we ask. Sure He can! He understands everything about us! But when we look at ourselves through God’s eyes rather than through our own, we cannot help but see the reason for His anger. In giving us His assignment for our lives, He has given us the best path of life we could ever hope for. Although the path will have its pains, there is no better path to follow. When we turn from the path He has placed us on, we have rejected both the best life He offers us, and we have rejected His wisdom in establishing that path for us. We think we know what’s best, and when we do so we effectively establish ourselves as idols in place of God.

Once we are saved, we can never be plucked out of His hand. But that doesn’t mean He won’t discipline us for second-guessing the path He has given us to pursue. Each and every day, gird (prepare) yourself with prayer. Seek the Lord’s protection against your natural longing for the land you left behind. And, when those days come where you succumb to the temptation to look back, recognize your doubt for the sin that it is. Seek God’s forgiveness and mercy, and no doubt He will be faithful and just to forgive you your sin and cleanse you from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)