What If?

We have all asked that question from time to time. Truth be told, there are some of us who can't seem to let go of that question!

What if I get sick?

What if we don't have enough money?

What if my child gets hurt?

What if I lose my job?

What if I get cancer?

What if we have a storm?

What if.......

You can complete the question with your own "what if". 

A number of years ago, when my husband was working as building and grounds manager for a large insurance company headquartered in our city, he often had to answer that question. Several times a week he would be called into the office of the person to whom he reported, and he would have to answer the question "what are the three worst things that will happen if we do this?"

That became a standing joke around our house! We asked that question about everything. And I do mean everything!

What are the three worst things that will happen if we buy this car? What are the three worst things that will happen if we go to Disney World? What are the three worst things that will happen if we go to the mall? What are the three worst things that will happen if we eat chicken for dinner? 

You get the idea. It bordered on ridiculous.

But if you think about it, don't we do the same - border on ridiculous - when we obsess over the "what ifs"? We worry far too much about things that probably won't even happen. Especially in these days, with Covid-19 never far from our minds, we have a lot of "what ifs". But even if some of our "what ifs" actually do become reality, what good does it do us to worry and fret?

A far better approach to the "what ifs" of our lives is to remember that God has it all under control. To remember that whatever happens to us, even if all our "what ifs" become reality, God knows and understands. And He is working it all together for our good and for His glory. 

"And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son." (Romans 8:28-29a ESV)

There is one "what if" we should keep in mind. The hymn writer Lelia N. Morris put it this way:

"Jesus is coming to earth again; What if it were today?"

 

Jesus is coming again. Are you ready?

 

"Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect."  (Matthew 24:44 ESV)

Is Your God In A Box?

Do you keep God in a box?

Is He in your "Sunday box"? The box you only use once a week - if it's convenient, or less often if it's not. Is He the God you take out of the Sunday box so you can dust Him off and take Him to church with you? If you bother to go. Or if you bother to take Him with you.

Do you keep God in a "special occasion box"? You only get that box out when you really need it. You know, when your grandma is really sick or your best friend is in an accident or your husband loses his job.

Is your God in a box that defines Him by popular opinion or political correctness? Does your understanding of who God is depend on what culture says (or doesn't say!) about Him?

Or do you have Him in some other kind of box? Some box of your own design and making. A box of your cultural or ethnic origin, or your political persuasion. Are you trying to make God fit into your box rather than you being fitted into Him?

I'm afraid that many of us have our God in a box. We know so little about Him and His ways that we box Him into what we do know. And sadly, much of what we know is either inaccurate or inadequate.

But if we really get to know Him in all His fulness, we can no longer keep Him boxed up! It's easy to say "I want to know God". It's a much greater challenge to actually live that out. To be willing to submit our will, our desires, our plans, to His will and His purposes.

After all, what if He expects us to change our lifestyle? To change our culture? To move to some faraway place? What if He sends us to Africa? Or Siberia? What if He expects us to give up things or people that are really important to us? What if?

How much do you love God? How much do you really want to know Him? How much are you willing to do what He says?

Are you willing, as A. W. Tozer put it, to follow hard after God?

"Show me Thy glory, I pray Thee, so that I may know Thee indeed. Begin in mercy a new work of love within me. Then give me grace to rise and follow Thee......"  (A. W. Tozer, from The Pursuit of God, chapter 1, "Following Hard After God")

Or are you content to leave Him in your box?

"My soul followeth hard after thee: thy right hand upholdeth me."  (Psalm 63:8 KJV)

Anyway

We were supposed to be on a cruise ship this morning, sailing to the Bahamas with our family. But, because of Covid-19, cruises are cancelled. And I'm disappointed. Certainly I would have enjoyed the cruise. But what disappoints me more is missing out on the time with family.


Inevitably there will be some disappointments in life. Life, even at its best, can be challenging, and those challenges come in all shapes and sizes, in all areas of our lives.

In health.
In relationships.
In politics.
In the workplace.
And in the current virus and hate-filled environment we now find ourselves in, life is full of disappointments and challenges.

Everywhere we turn, there are challenges to be faced and disappointments to be dealt with. Some days it seems there is a new crisis hiding around every corner.

How do we deal with all that? How do we handle these challenges and crises and disappointments? What do we do?

We trust God anyway. Even when things aren't going our way. Even when we have health issues or financial issues or relationship issues. Even when we have been hurt or disappointed. Even when politicians seem to have no moral compass. Even when those we love are suffering. Even when we don't know how we will pay our bills. Even when there aren't enough hours in the day. Even when the pain is more than we think we can bear.

Even then. Anyway.

Martina McBride expressed this well in a song she wrote and recorded a few years ago. One verse of that song says, "God is great, But sometimes life ain't good, And when I pray it doesn't always turn out like I think it should. But I do it anyway, I do it anyway."

Anyway.

That's what faith is all about. Faith is not dependent on circumstances. Faith is faith in spite of circumstances.

Trust God anyway.

Obey God anyway.

Believe God anyway.

Let your light shine anyway.



"Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines; even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren, and the cattle barns are empty, yet I will rejoice in the LORD!  I will be joyful in the God of my salvation!  The Sovereign LORD is my strength!  (Habakkuk 3:17-19a NLT, emphasis mine)

A Light Bulb Moment

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all your understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."                            (Philippians 4:6-7 ESV)

I was reading this verse yesterday. Pondering it. As I have done many times in recent weeks. But this time I had a light bulb moment. You know what I mean.  That moment when what you read really clicks.

I have read and quoted this verse hundreds of times. Perhaps even thousands of times.

I have rattled through this verse many times, but yesterday I was stopped in my tracks by this verse.

The verse tells us not to be anxious about anything. It tells us to pray about everything.

Never once does it say anything about the answer to our prayers.

It does say that when we stop worrying and when we pray about everything, the peace of God will guard our hearts and minds.

It does not say that when our prayers are answered, then we will be at peace.

It does say that when we bring all our concerns to God, then His peace surrounds us and guards our hearts and minds.

The answer, in a sense, is irrelevant. The act of praying, of bringing all our concerns to God, is what brings us peace. 

The answer to the request becomes a bonus. The blessing is in the praying.

Light bulb moment!

 

Oh, what peace we often forfeit,

Oh, what needless pain we bear,

All because we do not carry

Everything to God in prayer!

 

from "What a Friend We have in Jesus"

words:  Joseph Scriven; music:  Charles C. Converse

Of This I'm Sure

"The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever." 
(Isaiah 40:8 NASB)

We're living in a world where everything is changing. The world has gone crazy. There's the virus and violence and chaos and all sorts of political malfeasance. On top of that, our world no longer recognizes absolutes. Truth, in our culture, is an elusive concept. And that's true in the little things as well as in the bigger things.

If you have lived as long as I have, then you've been told that eggs are good for you, then that eggs are bad for you, and now eggs are good for you again. Milk is good for you, but it's bad for you. Eat wheat; don't eat wheat. Coffee is bad for you; coffee causes cancer; coffee is good for you and prevents certain diseases. Which is it? Where is the truth? 

As for the coffee, I'm going to drink it no matter what! About the other things, I'm as confused as the rest of you.

It's difficult to navigate our way through the ever-changing science and maintain our physical health.  We're confused. We don't know who or what to believe.

The culture continues to attempt to alter our perception of other standards as well. Standards that have been recognized as absolute for millennia are now being tossed aside as obsolete.

Because this is true, because we live in a culture that no longer recognizes the authority of the Word of God, it is more important than ever that we know what we believe. That we know in Whom we believe. It is more important than ever that we not only believe in God, but that we believe God.  It is more important than ever that we saturate ourselves in the Truth. That we be disciplined to spend time in the Word of God. 

And it is more important than ever that we stand firm for Truth.

There are many things in this life that I am unsure of. But of this I am sure:

"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever."  (Hebrews 13:8 NASB)

"I the LORD do not change."  (Malachi 3:6 NASB)

"No prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God."  (2 Peter 1:20-21 NASB)

Cultural standards change. The grass withers. The flower fades. What is popular today is gone tomorrow. What we have known as truth is no longer recognized as such. Even so, I know Whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day. (2 Timothy 1:12 KJV)



"Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith." (1 Corinthians 16:13 NASB)

It's Anniversary Week!

Several of my friends have celebrated wedding anniversaries recently, and others will be celebrating in the next week or so. I'll just give them all one big "Happy Anniversary!" shout-out rather than mentioning each of them by name, since I would inevitably leave someone out.

On a more personal note, Wednesday marks another milestone in the journey of my life. 48 years ago - June 10, 1972 - I said "I do". For the past (almost) 48 years, my life has been shared with the man of my dreams. And what a life it has been!

We began our married life in a little house in the "Avenues" of West Columbia, SC. (If you're from Cayce/West Columbia, that will mean something to you. Otherwise, probably not!) When I say it was a "little" house, that's exactly what I mean. It was a very small house, about 900 square feet. We have since lived in apartments that were larger than that house!

We had some expectations when we married. We expected to live out our days in West Columbia. (Or maybe we might move to Cayce!) We expected to move someday to a larger house. We expected that we would have children. I'm sure that back then we had other expectations as well.

In many ways, life has far exceeded our expectations, even our wildest dreams. Over the years we have moved far beyond the boundaries of Cayce/West Columbia. Far beyond South Carolina. To Colorado and to Connecticut. To Minnesota and to Florida (talk about climate extremes!). We lived in the mountains of North Carolina, and now we find ourselves back in our home state.

We have traveled to places we once only read about or dreamed of visiting. All across these United States. Thanks to our road trip in 2015, we have now both been in all 50 states at least once. We've visited such far away places as Tokyo and Paris. Sydney and Cairo. Edinburgh and Jerusalem. And numerous other spots in between. What an amazing journey we have had together!

I've said many times before that every journey has hills and valleys, smooth roads and potholes. Sometimes the scenery is beautiful. Sometimes not so much. Sometimes the road is straight. Sometimes there are curves. Bends in the road. It's all part of the journey. And we've experienced some of all of it!

Even so, there's joy in the journey. Joy because we're right where our LORD wants us to be. Joy because we're taking the journey together.

As we have been for almost 48 years. Through thick and thin. In good times and in not-so-great. Through it all. Joy in our journey. Together.

These last few years have certainly put the "for better, for worse; in sickness and in health" to the test! My stroke was definitely not on our bucket list! Even through all that, there is joy in our journey.

And I wouldn't want to take this journey with anyone else!