WHAT IF?

What and If, 2 small words when strung together open up a world of exploration and discovery. We grasp the concept long before we can write, recognize or even speak the words; WHAT IF!  Take a few minutes to watch a toddler; their entire world revolves around “What if.” What if I put this bug in my mouth? What if I throw that expensive vase in the floor? What if I wake up in the night and scream? What if I turn my bowl of cereal upside down? And the list goes on and on. As we mature, the “what ifs” mature along with us. A teenager finds a whole different answer to what if I throw this vase in the floor. The answer becomes a statement of, “If, then!”

The “what ifs" continue our entire life. What if I had…., what if I had taken that job, what if we had moved to that city, what if I had married him? There are no answers to these questions because we can never know how our life would have changed if we had made only one different decision. As a Christian we may ask, what if I stepped out in faith, what if I told my neighbor about Jesus, what if I went out of my way to help the helpless? Again, there is no answer until we finally just do it!!!

If no one ever asked, “What if”, think of all the wonderful land masses, inventions and truths that would have never been discovered. The plan is, however, once the “what if” is answered, we are not stuck repeating the action but our exploration moves on. 2 Timothy speaks of people who are, “Ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.” How frustrating to have a life full of “What ifs” but no “If, thens” that would have allowed you to receive further revelation.

One of the questions I hear many people struggle with in their quest for knowledge is, “What if there is no God?” I suppose there are many things that would drastically change if there was no God. How would I treat my neighbor, if there was NO LOVE? How would I react to the one who had wronged me, if there was NO MERCY? How would I face hard decisions, if there was NO FAITH? How would I handle dying, if there was NO HOPE?

The other night I dreamed a friend was trying to persuade me that my choice to follow God’s plan was foolish. He asked how I would feel if I found out there was no God. I awoke with the answer ringing through my sub consciousness. It is very simple, if I came to the end of my life and discovered there was no God, I would have lived a wonderful, fulfilled life; one of ignorant bliss, but still wonderful. I would still win because I had nothing to lose. On the other hand if my friend comes to the end of life and discovers, he is wrong and there IS a God, he loses big time and for all of eternity.

The way I see it believing in and serving God is a win/win way of life while living for yourself and believing it all ends at death results in an eternal, “WHAT IF.”