Changing What If into What Is.
by Jan Hession
Are you a worrier? Many of us are, especially in the middle of the night when we wake up and start on the ‘What ifs?’ Supposing this or that happened, what would I do then? What if I couldn’t cope? What if I fell apart? What Ifs at 3.00am can easily take us down a path of fear, as well as robbing us of valuable hours of sleep.
I grew up hearing the expression “Don’t cross your bridges before you come to them.” This was good worldly advice, but it also seems to be something we hear in scripture, too.
Jesus sat on a hillside near the sea of Galilee and said to his friends ‘Don’t be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink or what you will wear’ (or, even perhaps, what if I get ill, lose my job?). He went on to talk about the birds and the flowers being fed and clothed by their heavenly Father, and the fact that we won’t add a single day to our lives by worrying – things which, if we’re honest, are often hard enough to follow in the cool light of day, let alone at 3.0am.
But nonetheless, He tells us that, instead of doing all that worrying, we are to seek Him first, trust Him, and know that our lives are in His hands now, today and never mind, “What If?”
How about the next time that you’re falling into the anxiety trap of thinking “What if?”, you change the thought into “What is?”. Think about “What is God’s care for me now, today?” Think about “What is His promise for me tomorrow?”
This won’t necessarily wipe out all the difficulties that may come along, but, those bridges? Well, you may never have to cross them after all. And anyway, how much better it would be for you to approach a wobbly bridge holding His hand and knowing He’s there with you.
God said His name is I AM. He is the God of the present and He’s here with you now, today, this very minute.
Prayer: Thank You, Lord, for the good things in my life, (even life itself), and all You provide for me in food, clothing, money, friends, and family. Thank You for covering all my needs. Please help me to live in peace today, to worry less and trust You more. Remind me to think ‘What is?’ instead of ‘What if?’ in the middle of the night. Amen.
Jan Hession (formerly Penistan) has loved being on the associate ministry and teaching teams at Glyndley Manor for 20 years. After being widowed in 2001 she has recently married Colin Hession and they are living in Winchester. Jan has a son and a daughter and 7 wonderful grandchildren .
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