Yesterday I reconnected with a friend from long ago. Things have not gone the way it had been planned. Choices were made that have left a family defeated and desperate. After one discussion, it was apparent that their focus revolves around one central theme:
If only things could be different . . .
At one time or another we want and wish for things to be different. Rather than being trapped in the "if only" we need to begin to strategize the "what ifs." It is the difference between hopelessness and hopefulness.
The government official recognized Jesus as the Source where life springs from. The encounter with Christ gave him a new perspective of faith and hope . . . that something more than death was possible:
While he was on his way, some of his servants met him with the news that his son was alive and well. (John 4:51, NLT)
What if the man had not encountered Christ? Would he have spent a life time thinking, "If only I had found Christ, then . . . ” The difference between "if only" and "what if" is the way we think and subsequently act.
Reformat the way you think . . . see the possibilities of life through seeking God first with faith: Jesus glanced around at them and said, With men [it is] impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God. (Mark 10:27, Amplified)
Refuse to be stuck in the "if onlies" of life.
Redefine your problems by reformatting your perspective, acknowledging and believing God is not only present but working.
Focus on the possibilities (the what-ifs) rather than dead-end problems.
Remember . . . with God all things are possible.
Learning with you to focus on the "what if" rather than the dead-end problem,
Shalom,
Kerrie
(All devotions written by Kerrie Palmer ©2008 All Rights Reserved)
