The Big What If?

The Big What If?
Have you ever asked yourself, What if? What if?

You know, the big decision has to be made, so you weight all the possible options, you make your decision, and life goes on. But then, maybe years later, you wonder, What if?

What if you had chosen the other option. What if you had decided to go with option B, instead of option A.

What if?

Now many of you know, that before I felt God’s call to go into ministry, I was in school to be an architect. Three years were given to learn how to design a structure. From concept to floor plans to final drawings. I even had the opportunity to work with my teacher on a few projects that were real remodels and additions. At graduation, I was the top of my class. I was good, really good.

But recently, I wondered, What if? What if instead God’s call to ministry, what if God’s call had been to finish my training? What if I had become an architect? What if I landed a job working with an architectural firm? What if I was building houses or commercial buildings? What if? What if? What if?

Now, I don’t know if you believe in plan B. Or, if you even dwell in the What if? But I don’t. And while it might be fun to think about the possibilities of the WHAT IF? I truly believe that everything happens according to God’s plan. See, I may occasionally ask the What If question, but I know that where I am and what I am doing is exactly as God has planned. And this past weekend I was reminded about.

You see, the God that I know, is a God who knows. And the best part of knowing a God who knows, is the security that comes from the knowledge that He really does know.

Confused? Don’t be. We’ll sort this all okay as we go.

You see, I think sometimes, when we look around at the world, at the people in this world, at our neighbors, at our own situations in this life, and the things we experience and the things that we have to deal with, sometimes not only do we entertain the What If, but we ask, is this really the life I am suppose to be living? Is this really what life is all about?

Is this the life we were meant to live? Are we doing what we were created to do? Do we know what we are here?

I want to share with you a little bit of reality via Rick Warren.

In his #1 Bestseller, The Purpose Driven Life, What on Earth Am I Here For? He starts with these words.

“It’s not about you.

“The purpose of your life is far greater than your own personal fulfillment, your peace of mind, or even your happiness. It’s far greater than your family, your career, or even your wildest dreams and ambitions. If you want know why you were placed on this planet, you must begin with God. You were born by His purpose and for His purpose.”

And then this, “You were made for God, not vice versa, and life is about letting God use you for his purpose, not your using him for your own purpose.”

Think about those words for a second. Can you feel the weight of that statement?

You were made for God…

Life is about letting God use you for His purpose…

How does that fit with what the culture teaches? How about with our own personal idea of how we traditionally think when it comes to how we plan our lives?

It’s counter culture. We live in a world where it all about us. Everything about our society suggests that all that matters is us. From our fast food we order to the car we drive to the house we live in to where we send our kids for college, it’s all about what we want.

But here, Rick Warren says, IT NOT ABOUT US.

It’s not about us.

So, is he right? Is what Rick Warren says true? Is it Biblical? And if it is, what does that mean for you and I?

– jay

*We will continue our discussion tomorrow. In the mean time, what is your what if? Have you ever wondered what your live might be like if you had chosen a different path? Share your story below in the comment box.