At one point or another, everyone has thought of a "what if" in life. In fact, every single thought, motive, action, inaction, decision, and indecision has led you to where you are now.
There was a point in my life where I was consumed with fascination at the "what ifs" in life. For example, if I was driving and came to a yellow light, I would have a decision...either speed up or slow down to a complete stop. That one decision would change the rest of my life. Why? Because had I taken the light, I may have been in a car accident a few blocks away because of someone else's decision and so on and so forth.
This was even more of a driving force after watching the movie "Sliding Doors" with Gwyneth Paltrow. Her life carries on in two different ways because of missing one train. One train, that's all....and the turn of events that follow are very interesting.
This train of thought could drive someone crazy. Instead, I was immersed in it. So much so, that I would contemplate everything I did and try to see where it may or may not result.
The problem with that is the following...you don't know.
No one knows where they'll be tomorrow or even an hour from now. You can plan and organize your life, but things happen that are out of our control. Life is not guaranteed. No one has a date of life termination stamped anywhere. That is up to God and God alone. James 4:14 puts it bluntly, "Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes."
So honestly, the only important "what if" in life is about salvation. What if you deny Christ and the gift of salvation? At the end of the day, that's the only one worth thinking about.
To dwell on the "what ifs" in life can be interesting, but at the end of the day, the most important thing is to live a life worthy of the calling of Christ (2 Thessalonians 1:11) Then, the "what ifs" don't matter so much because you're walking with the Creator of ALL things, including time.
There was a point in my life where I was consumed with fascination at the "what ifs" in life. For example, if I was driving and came to a yellow light, I would have a decision...either speed up or slow down to a complete stop. That one decision would change the rest of my life. Why? Because had I taken the light, I may have been in a car accident a few blocks away because of someone else's decision and so on and so forth.
This was even more of a driving force after watching the movie "Sliding Doors" with Gwyneth Paltrow. Her life carries on in two different ways because of missing one train. One train, that's all....and the turn of events that follow are very interesting.
This train of thought could drive someone crazy. Instead, I was immersed in it. So much so, that I would contemplate everything I did and try to see where it may or may not result.
The problem with that is the following...you don't know.
No one knows where they'll be tomorrow or even an hour from now. You can plan and organize your life, but things happen that are out of our control. Life is not guaranteed. No one has a date of life termination stamped anywhere. That is up to God and God alone. James 4:14 puts it bluntly, "Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes."
So honestly, the only important "what if" in life is about salvation. What if you deny Christ and the gift of salvation? At the end of the day, that's the only one worth thinking about.
To dwell on the "what ifs" in life can be interesting, but at the end of the day, the most important thing is to live a life worthy of the calling of Christ (2 Thessalonians 1:11) Then, the "what ifs" don't matter so much because you're walking with the Creator of ALL things, including time.
