What If? What Now? What Next?

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.

PUZZLE PIECES

Have you seen those completed puzzles that have been framed and matted?

10,000 magnificent pieces all in their correct place, each complementing the panoramic scene that is the artist's vision.

I saw one the other day...a magnificent landscape with areas of dark and light, sun and shade. Some areas were bursting with colors, bright and vivid, while others were quite drab, subdued, almost monotone.

.....And inside of me a thought popped up...."That is a picture of the Kingdom."

1) Each puzzle piece is unique in size, shape and color. No two pieces are completely alike.

2) Each puzzle piece complements the others. There is a harmonious "fit" when a piece is placed in right relationship to it's peers.

3) Every single puzzle piece is valuable. A puzzle that includes all 10,000 pieces is valuable. A puzzle with 9,999 pieces is almost worthless.

4) Each puzzle piece contributes to the common goal and final vision of the creator.

5) When just one piece in 10,000 pieces is lost, misplaced, or otherwise absent from the whole, the vision is spoiled and incomplete.

1 Corinthians 12:27 "Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it."

We are not all eyes, or hands, or feet....and if we were, how would the whole benefit and what would the final vision be? And why is there division and disunity over what kind of puzzle piece we may be...or want to be?

We must encourage each puzzle piece to discover it's size, color, calling and gifting. We must encourage each one to take their place in the Kingdom.... completing the intended vision of the creator.

I'd Rather Fly a Kite!

When I was a boy growing up in Africa, the temperature at 7,200 feet was a constant 70-80 degrees year round and the winds were mild, ideal weather for flying a kite.

As a kid, we made our own kites out of dried sticks, plastic bags, scotch tape and lightweight nylon string. They flew amazingly well, sometimes so high in the sky that you could hardly see them with the naked eye. Sometimes so high that they flew when the winds at the surface were calm.

I loved those days, carefree, footloose, and as an adult I remember the sheer happiness and joy that flying my kite gave me.

In America we live in a very autonomous, self determining culture where everyone is driven by the tyranny of becoming....rather than just being. There's nothing wrong with growth, progress, or success.....but sometimes just "being" is the best plan.

What if we all decided just to be.......what if we decided to fly a kite..........?

Some of the great things about kites....are really about us.

1) The kite was a part of us. We built it. It contained our personality, our character, our DNA. It represents us....it's almost as if we can fly.

2) We hold onto the string. We hold onto the string and when the kite is low we have a lot of control, but as the kite flies higher our control becomes less and the winds control becomes greater.

3) We let out more string. As the wind takes the kite higher, we grow by letting out more string, the uncertainty of what might become of the kite increases the higher it goes but so does the pleasure and excitement of flying it.

4) We fix our eyes on the kite. We would stand for hours watching our kites fly first this way then that way....it was a wonder that we never tired of.

So what is the point here?

What if we lived our lives like we were flying a kite?

1) What if we believed that God has made each of us to fly, each of us with our own DNA, personality, and characteristics...each one of us uniquely important to his Kingdom?

2) What if we understood that to begin with we must hold the string.....but that as we rise higher God begins blowing us this way and that way, causing our lives to fly with his purpose and his design, taking us to places and heights we have never known?

3) What if the longer we fly our kite the more string we let out.....the more insecure we become in our abilities and the more we lean on Gods ability.

4) Finally, as we watch our kite flying under the influence of the wind of God.....we realize things that would have never happened if we had chosen not to fly our kite.

The church sometimes says that we cannot be involved in ministry unless we fit into a traditional mold, look a certain way, or do ministry the way it has always been done. Sometimes that is good....but not always.

What about the "kite flyers" in the Bible?

Abraham.....just flying his kite, minding his business.....and God came along with a sky high adventure...."How would you like to fly your kite in a country you knew nothing about?"

David....just flying his kite.....watching his fathers sheep......when a prophet comes, finds him, and anoints him King of Israel!

All the people in the Bible were kite flyers......when God came along and took them on a sky high adventure.

So, I'm not agonizing, and frantically searching for the next step in my life. My next step is up to God....I'm just keeping my eyes on Him.

I'm not being insincere, I'm just flying a kite.

I'm holding onto my end of the string, watching my kite intently....leaning on God's ability. I know that God is kind and has everything under control....even the wind. And when that gust of wind comes along that takes my kite into a hard right turn....I'll feel the tug and know that God is leading me into the next phase of this sky high adventure.

I Asked God.....BUT God said NO!

I asked God to grant me patience......God said NO!
Patience is a byproduct of troubles; it isn't granted, it is earned.

I asked God to give me happiness.......God said NO!
I give you blessings. Happiness is up to you.

I asked God to spare me pain.....God said NO!
Suffering draws you away from secondary cares and brings you closer to me.

I asked God to make my spirit grow.....God said NO!
You must grow on your own, but I will prune you to make you fruitfull.

I asked God to give me everything I needed to enjoy life......God said NO!
I will give you life so that you may enjoy all things.

I asked God to help me love people, as much as God loves me.
God said, ....."Ahhhhh, finally you have the idea.

I sometimes run into an attitude of entitlement with some Christians who feel that because they are "saved" or "born again" that God is now somehow required to "make" them happy, fix their broken relationships, or perform other "feats of greatness" in their lives.

It's a stark contrast to the spiritual life Jesus lived. He expected very little from his Father, and concentrated his life on serving people, often at a great personal inconvenience.

I see a life that lives to give, rather than the demanding, customer service oriented Christian life lived by some.

I'm not here to be "served" by Christ......I'm here to be a servant, to serve the Lord and people.

Maybe I finally "have the idea."