What If...

"What if...". Placing those two little words at the front of a question turns it into speculation. Hypothetical, conjectural, theoretical. This past week, my family and I have had to face many "what if's".

My brother had a burst appendix which is a nasty business. His body had created an enclosure around the poison so that none of it had spread prior to surgery. The surgeon felt he cleaned up the area very well. However, we were told if it had been 24 hours later, the problem could have been much, much worse.

As you can imagine, our imaginations began to speculate of what could have happened. What if we hadn't gotten him to the hospital on time? What if urgent care had properly diagnosed him the night before? What if the poison had spread? What if he had died?

The leader of an adult Bible study at church, reminded the class one Sunday that we as Christians do not deal with "What if's"; we deal with as the Apostle Paul says "whatsoever is true" (Philippians 4:8).

Thus, our imaginations were restrained. This is the truth: we got to the hospital on time, urgent care didn't diagnose properly, the appendix poison hadn't spread and he didn't die but is on the road to recovery.

C.S. Lewis delves into this concept in The Chronicles of Narnia. In Prince Caspian, Lucy is the only one who sees Aslan who wants them to follow him. Instead of listening to Lucy, the group wanders lost and is even ambushed. Eventually, Lucy speaks to Aslan in the woods. She comes to realize that she should have pushed for the others to follow or have followed Aslan alone. She asks:

" 'But what would have been the good?'
Aslan said nothing.
'You mean,' said Lucy rather faintly, 'that it would have turned out all right -- somehow? But how? Please, Aslan! Am I not to know?'
'To know what would have happened, child?' said Aslan. 'No. Nobody is ever told that.'
'Oh dear,' said Lucy.
'But anyone can find out what will happen,' said Aslan."

Trying to wrap our minds around what would have happened, is a waste of time. The emotional energy, good or bad, isn't worth the effort. We don't deal with "what if's"; we deal with "whatsoever is true", and that is a great comfort.

--HM