Book Review: Don’t Look Back: Getting Unstuck and Moving Forward with Passion and Purpose by Christine Caine

by Beth Ecker

Christine Caine, Christian author, speaker, and co-founder of the humanitarian organization A21, has published a new book titled Don’t Look Back: Getting Unstuck and Moving Forward with Passion and Purpose. Although it echoes the theme of several of her previous works, this particular book draws on the verses from Genesis and the Gospels regarding Lot’s wife. Caine encourages her readers to reflect on this little-known and seldom-studied figure in the Bible exactly because of her obscurity and its implications: “What makes Lot’s wife especially significant is that Jesus said for us to remember her. In the middle of an eschatological discourse in the New Testament, Jesus dropped in three words: ‘Remember Lot’s wife’ (Luke 17:32)” (15). Caine explains that “where we look, we will go,” and if our tendency is to regularly look backward, as Lot’s wife did, focusing our mental energy on what was and could have been, we will get stuck in a place that God never meant us to stay indefinitely.  

One of the strengths of this book is that Caine doesn’t just offer a stern admonition to ‘snap out of it’ when we get mired in difficulty or routine. Instead, she uses relevant personal accounts to illustrate hard transitions from the routine and expected to the new and unexpected and the comfortable to the uncomfortable. She also draws on other scriptural accounts, such as Elijah’s interaction with the widow of Zarephath, to illustrate the pitfalls of dwelling on our own feelings instead of God’s Biblical truth, or focusing on what we lack instead of embracing our spiritual giftings and opportunities. She unpacks the human tendency to spool around feelings of disappointment or even subtle entitlement in the face of change. This book serves as a gentle hand-hold, Caine highlighting how a person can get stuck even on good things, becoming distracted from a life of daily, prayerfully seeking God’s will in all areas of life. She challenges readers with questions for reflection, scriptural references, and extensions.  

This book could be used as a small-group Bible study on spiritual purpose and obedience, a personal Bible study or devotional, or a book to simply take in without additional study. With its anecdotes and personal accounts, it is enjoyable to read while remaining challenging in its message. The language Caine uses is clear and approachable, and it leaves readers with a practical call to action, steps to take right now, and those to pursue in the future. This book would be equally applicable to new and seasoned Christians, and to those searching for a way to move past a difficult circumstance as much as to those simply hoping to refocus their faith life. After all, the author encourages, “Moving on isn’t a one-time decision; it’s a way of living. We don’t want to miss out on the opportunities God has placed before us. We must move forward in bold faith!” 

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Beth Ecker is a co-editor of The Stir and homeschooling mama of four wonderful kids, from 6 to 16. She loves finding ways to encourage others in their faith, family life, and educational opportunities. Beth enjoys a great cup of espresso, plants and green things, travel, excellent literature, and baking.

Beth Ecker is a co-editor of The Stir and homeschooling mama of four wonderful kids, from 6 to 16. She loves finding ways to encourage others in their faith, family life, and educational opportunities. Beth enjoys a great cup of espresso, plants and green things, travel, excellent literature, and baking.