What If? It's a thought process that we entertain occasionally!What if....I was rich?
What if....I married a model?
What if....I owned a beach house?
What if....I had a better job?
Why does it seem that we generate a "better" set of circumstances than those we find ourselves in?
Unfortunately "What If" is a fantasy land, a distraction from the facts, a red herring, a mirage, a ghost. "What If" is better defined as "What Was." "What Was" defines the facts of our past existence until today. "What Was" is the true and factual account of our lives. "What Was" is not negotiable. If we continually entertain the fantasy scenarios generated by What If, we will never concentrate on the better question....which is....What Now?
What Now is where the rubber hits the road....it is the visceral reality of our lives in the present moment. What Now is all about today. What Now is important because.....What Now prepares us for the most important question of all.....which is What Next?
David was the youngest son of Jesse. David had 7 brothers, all of which were older and more experienced than he was. In fact, David was doing a job that was one of the most menial and despised jobs in all of Israel. He was shepherding sheep. But....David was taking care of What Now. He took shepherding to a new level! When the lion and the bear came to kill his fathers sheep....he defended them at his own peril. He was taking very good care of What Now.
As David was taking care of What Now.....Samuel came looking for him to annoint him as the next King of Israel. What Next took care of itself!
The same can be said of many Bible leaders. As they were faithfuly taking care of What Now....What Next took care of itself. Abraham was just living a righteous life in a foreign country, taking care of What Now...and What Next came calling. Peter and and Andrew were fishing.....taking care of What Now....when Jesus walked over to them and called them into What Next.
The takeaways for me are:
I waste my time rolling the dice and amusing myself with the fantasy outcomes of "What If."
I would do much better to focus my attention on What Now and make sure that What Now is being done well.
What Next is always up to God and will arrive on time.
For me, this also translates into one more blessing....as I take care of What Now.....I have peace of mind....because I know who will take care of What Next.
