From What Is to What If

Have you ever asked yourself the question, “What if?” I believe it is safe to say you have. I have. Everyone has at some time in life asked the question, “What if?” You may find yourself at a point in your career, your walk with the Lord, your family, or any other area of life pondering the question, “What if?”

In order to realize the positive benefits of asking the “what if” question you must begin with a true analysis of “what is.” For many people asking “what is” can lead to a disastrous outcome. Frequently people jump to making accusations and blaming others for their difficult circumstances or present problems of life. But each of us must begin by, first, analyzing “what is.” And this is best accomplished by allowing time for reflection and introspection. In Matthew 7:3-5, God’s Word says, “And why worry about a speck in your friend's eye when you have a log in your own? How can you think of saying, ‘Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can't see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite! First get rid of the log from your own eye; then perhaps you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend's eye.” As I identify the “what is” of my life, I begin to understand how the lack of faith and disobedience of yesterday results in the frustration and confusion of today. From your heart cry out to God the words of the Psalmist, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Ps. 139:23-24). Allow the Spirit of God and His Word to lovingly and accurately reveal the “what is” status of your life.

Next you must ask the question “what if?” This is where you do a little divine daydreaming. In your ministry ask, “What if I trusted God to…?” In your marriage ask, “What if I loved my spouse the same way Jesus loves His church?” In your parenting ask, “What if I invested more time and energy into loving and leading my children instead of focusing on building a career?” But in each area consider your ability only to the degree that you realize “apart from [Jesus] you can do nothing” (John 15:5). It’s not about you. It never has been and never will be. Life changing, eternity impacting results occur when we recognize and appropriate Ephesians 3:20 which states, “[God]…is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.” The “what if” life is a life of faith. It is a dependency upon the Lord’s ability to do what only He can do. And God promises to act in ways that unimaginably surpass our most amazing thoughts and expectations.

So right now, take time to let God show you the “what is.” What is the status of your walk with the Lord, your ministry, your relationships, and so forth, and are there issues God is leading you to deal with? After you address these items, conclude this time by asking God “What if?” God has faithfully brought you this far, and He has so much more He wants to do in and through you!