Have You Ever Wondered, “What if?”

I was watching a science fiction show recently where the main characters go back in time, trying to stop other time travelers from altering the timeline. Even though such a concept seems farfetched, imagine if even one tiny thing were changed. What if, through casual conversation, you ended up causing someone to pursue a different interest. This interest may lead them away from meeting the love of their life and in so doing, someone alive today might never have been born. Even the tiniest interaction with the past could complete alter the reality of this timeline. It’s interesting to ponder, but it is unlikely to ever happen. Do we have to go back in time to have such a drastic influence on history? What would life be like if Adam and Eve had never disobeyed God? We would still be enjoying physically walking with God daily. What if Moses had gotten comfortable in Pharaoh’s court? Who would have rescued God’s people. What if Jacob’s son, Joseph, had become angry and not told Pharaoh the meaning of his dream. How many of God’s people would have died in the drought. What if Jonah had listened the first time and never ended up getting swallowed by the whale? Would he have spoken with the same passion and would the Ninevites have repented. What if Abraham hadn’t entertained the “strangers” (who ended up being angels)? Would Isaac have been born? Would lot have been rescued from Sodom and Gomorrah? If Abraham had been obedient, would Ishmael have been born and would Israel and the Middle East be in turmoil today? What about the choices you make? Maybe the person you didn’t help was meant to be the inventor of some great product and now they never will. What about the child that is aborted? Maybe they would be the one to find a cure for cancer. Maybe the person you smiled and greeted as a friend was thinking of causing a great disaster and now will back down from it. I believe that we truly can shape the future by what we do and how we treat others today. If everything is predetermined, then what is the use of trying. Instead of asking, “What if...”, we need to ask, “What now!” Father, You alone know what the future holds. Help us to trust and obey the One that holds that future in His hands. Amen