By Melanie Rigney

“I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.” ~ John 16:12

What if?

As a storyteller and amateur family historian, I love the words “what if.” What if other characters find out the secret the protagonist in my novel-in-progress has been hiding for thirty years? What if the reason I can’t find any evidence of a many-times-grand in Poland’s death is that he’d been sent to Siberia for taking part in an uprising? I love pondering what could or could have happened in cases like these.

As a woman of faith, I try to put those words to the curb, but it’s difficult. What if I forgot to confess a sin I committed—or if I confessed it twice because I forgot about the first time? (Yes, I am that given to scrupulosity.)  What if a wonderful pastor gets transferred, and I don’t like his successor as well? And the most frightening of all: What if God stops talking with me?

In short, I would have made a great original disciple, focused on what I could see and, in the process, not trusting.

A Matter of Trust and Faith

Jesus knew they couldn’t handle what was at hand—his arrest, trial, and death. He refrained from sharing many details but offered hope for what was to come: “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth…” (John 16:13)

You see, the desire for too much knowledge about the future can be a dangerous thing. It’s tempted us since the Garden of Eden and look at how that turned out for Adam and Eve. When we want God’s powers, we diminish the Almighty’s awesomeness—and love for us. May we trust that the Lord desires only good for us and remain faithful during those dark moments of “what if.”

Prayer:

Come, Holy Spirit. Please be with me today to ward away my anxieties.

Call to Action:

Every time you find yourself worrying, stop, breathe, and pray the Lord’s prayer.

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