What If...

Have you suffered from ‘what if’ syndrome? I have, and it can get you down when you second guess each decision you made down through the years. The big things like, what if I….did better at school?.....learned that musical instrument?....picked different friends?....listened to my parents more?....married a different person?.... took that better paid job?....saved more instead of spending so much?... The list is endless, and will get us down because all these things are in the past and we can do nothing about them now.

Now, take a step back, and look at life from where you are. Life really isn’t so bad is it? Yes, there have been bad times, but these are far outnumbered by the good times. How did I get such a loving spouse, who put up with all my issues down the years? How did it work out that I have lovely children, and terrific grandchildren? The job I had paid well enough to allow us to go away on a family holiday most years. I have friends that I wouldn’t trade for anything. I found my Saviour, or to be more accurate, He found me! Things are really pretty good.

So, instead of mulling over all those ‘what ifs’ down the years, count all those blessings that came your way in spite of the apparently wrong decisions. When you have finished counting them, count again and and give thanks. Every time we made a decision in the past (and those still to come) God was right there beside us, and He knew where it would lead. I don’t want it to come across irreverently, but I can imagine Jesus looking on and smiling at our feeble attempts at life and decision making, and saying “don’t worry, I’ve got this”. The Word of God reminds us in Romans 8:28 “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.” NLT. Next time you are tempted to go down the old ‘what if’ road, hold that verse close. When we are in God’s family, we are blessed beyond measure, and in spite of our own failings as we may see them at the time. After all, He was at least one step ahead of us every time, and still is!

White Smoke

The world watches and waits for the next head of the Roman Catholic Church to be elected by the 115 Cardinals, who are locked away in their conclave in the Sistine Chapel, and voting until they get a 2/3rds majority for the one man who will lead them into the next phase of their church life. This could take a few days, or weeks, or even months as they settle on a clear winner.

The news programs who report on this momentous occasion talk in terms of the secular world. I hear words like, ‘who will vote with whom?’, and ‘ will some nations vote in block?’, and ‘Is it time for a change to a non European Pope?’ and even, ‘Will there be bad feelings between Cardinals if they don’t get their own way?’. I am sorry, but it looks and sounds like the reporting we get for the Eurovision Song Contest! Where is God in the process? The appointment of the most powerful man in the largest church in the world, is elected on a secular basis, or that is how it is reported. If the Pope is God’s man, then shouldn’t God have a say?

Ah, but hold on, it isn’t just the Roman Catholic Church who seems to have stopped using the divine wisdom of God in their deliberations, the mainstream Protestant churches do it too. When was the last time you heard the words from your minister or pastor when he or she came to lead your flock, ‘God called me here?’ We are subject to the same things, like elections, whether by the whole church or by an elected group of representatives. When a minister or pastor moves on, we hear words like, ‘I feel my ministry has finished here’, or ‘I want to be closer to my family who are in another place’, or worse still they are voted out of their church of choice.

Having said all that, I do believe that God still works and speaks through His people. If that means a voting process in an imperfect church, of whatever religious denomination, including puffs of white smoke, so be it. After all, does God have another way to work in His world, including His church, except through us, who are called by His name? If so, then please share your thoughts.