What If?
Have you ever thought of the “what ifs” in life? And I am not talking about what if I had more money. What if I had a bigger house? What if I had a better job or, what if I had not done this or what if I had not done that, my life would be better. Or what about the big ones, if only…I could be pretty enough, skinny enough, smart enough, tall enough, light enough, or dark enough, then life would be grand! Now, stop right here and remember those thoughts, wishes and regrets.
The next day is upon you, but when you attempt to get up and out of bed, you cannot. Doctors and specialists cannot explain to you what is happening. All they can tell you is that at the present time you are paralyzed from the waist down. Now, let us not forget about all the “what ifs” from the day before. Remember, we were not pleased with anything that was given us. We did not see the blessings of opening our eyes and being able to merely put our feet on the floor. Now Jesus has our full attention. He did not have our attention when He was blessing us daily, minute by minute, with His Mercy and Grace. There was no thanksgiving the day before when we got out of bed.
Suddenly, we are thinking about how great life was the day before. Now the “if only” is different. If only I could go back to yesterday.
I am laying out all of this to say this: the Blessings are today, right now. We can believe satan’s lies all day long, “And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.” 2 Corinthians 11:14 One thing is for sure, we can count on “our enemy” to wield his weapon of “if only” against us.
Think about this, how many nights have you lain in bed, not able to sleep, regretting a past and thinking how life “might” have been? For me, thinking of the “what if’s” did not keep me up at night, it did not have to, it was a constant reminder during the day. By bedtime I was too exhausted to do anything but sleep. My “if only” were excuses because no one oversees your life as much as the creator does.
I had to come to the realization that our past is just that – a past. I did not understand that until I started reading Gods word and what He has to say about me and my past. He says our past is where wisdom comes from. Wisdom is acquired through life experiences; reflect on them, learn from them, and move on. The Lord never meant for them to destroy us.
Satan’s lies manifest itself into our lives in the form of destruction, depression, anxiety, and feelings of low self-worth. It binds us to a past that we can never change. It does what it is meant to do, drain you. Now we have no time for God’s light or promise. Promises like, Jeremiah 29:11 which says, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Amen
Prayer: Heavenly Father thank you for the abundant blessings you have afforded me in my life. You have never left me nor forsaken me. Thank you for being the way, the truth, and the light in this fallen and dark world. Heavenly Father, I pray for every eye that stops here. I pray for those who do not believe in the Father or in the Son or in the Holy Spirit. I pray for their salvation. I pray that they accept all that you offer, in Jesus’ name, Amen.
GL