“Every second, two people die…What if this is your
second?”
That thought you just had. You know the “Wait, did
he really just say that?” one?
It might have even made you feel a bit
uncomfortable.
Those are the exact feelings I had when I read that
line Monday night. These words are from a religious
tract that was placed on the windshield of my truck.
In under 400 words this tract asks the reader 24
different “What if?” questions.
They ranged from “What if you won a million
dollars?” to “What if hating without cause was
considered murder?”
If I’m honest, for some reason I have not been able
to let go of this tract. In fact, I’ve kept it in my
pocket and have found myself on a couple different
occasions staring at it. Perhaps, subconsciously, I
am trying to make sense of these ‘what if?’
questions.
Maybe it was because all the “what if?” questions
that were asked were all self-centered.
Maybe it was because all the “what if?” questions
made God out to be an angry parent who is quick to
hate and slow to love.
Maybe it was because all the “what if?” questions
made humanity, specifically the person reading the
card, out to be anything but good.
All this “what if-ing?” has led me to ask some of my
own “what if?” questions.
Like, what if we started with questions that weren’t
so negative or made us out to be helpless puppets of
an angry God?
What if God really is love?
What if faith isn’t about a rugged individualistic
relationship with Jesus but a life lived in
community?
What if we begin God’s story in Genesis 1 and not
Genesis 3?
What if we talked less about Jesus and more about
what Jesus talked about?
What if we quit focusing on the afterlife and
started living it right now?
What if we helped the person who is currently living
in hell—someone who lost a child to suicide; someone
who has had a miscarriage; someone who has just lost
their job; someone who is in an abusive
relationship—what if we helped these people now
rather than inquiring about where they’ll be after
it is all said and done?
What if we actually believed Jesus when he told us
to “be perfect as I am perfect”? Or is that taking
things too literally?
What if heaven is real and every time we protect the
image of God in someone, or care for God’s creation
and not worry about them pearly gates up yonder, it
is made manifest right in front of us?
What if we didn’t hate at all?
What if we actually loved our neighbors—especially
those who we disagree with or who may not believe as
we do?
|
What if violence isn’t the answer?
What if instead of seeing labels like “handicapped,”
or “reject,” or “liberal,” or “transgendered,” or “conservative,” or
“gay,” or “straight,” or “Baptist,” or “Christian,” or “other,” or
“Cubs fan,” we see each other as God see us: beloved human beings?
What if instead of worrying about what happens when
we die we choose to live here and now?
What if we quit playing the “what if” game and use our life, our
time, our energy making a prayer shawl for someone in the hospital,
or buy the coffee for the person behind you, or we planted seeds at
a community garden, or we bought Gatorade for those teenagers who
“are always up to no good”?
What if we believed Paul when he said that in Christ
there is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female? Too
literal again?
What if we told our children they possess an inherent goodness, and
that life is about discovering this goodness, and that we call this
journey towards discovering the divine spark we all
possess…salvation?
What if, in all of this, what if we are all wrong?
What if LOVE is all we need?
After all, if God is who we say God is, then Love is not only the
answer, but it is our identity—for we are created in the image of
Love.
Last thing, what if we approached life with this thought from Thomas
Merton:
“It seems to me the most absurd thing in the world is to be upset
because I am weak and distracted and blind and constantly make
mistakes! What else do I expect? Does God love me any less because I
can’t make myself a saint by my own power and in my own way? God
loves me more because I am so clumsy and helpless without God and
underneath what I am God sees me as I will one day be by God’s pure
gift and that pleases God. Therefore, it pleases me and I attend to
God’s great love which is my joy.”
Every second somebody is wondering, “what if I am not loved?”
What if this is your second to tell them they, in fact, are?
[Adam Quine, pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Lincoln] |
