What if...

There’s a little phrase that floats around in ours heads when we’re anxious:  “What if ________?”  What if I lose my job?  What if she gets mad at me?  What if it doesn’t pan out?  What if I try that and it makes things worse?  And on and on.  These “what if’s” are always lurking around in our worries and fears, paralyzing us from moving forward.  Have you ever noticed what they all have in common?  They stop at the question and never move on to the answer.  

We STOP at “what if?” like it sets up some impenetrable black hole of intolerable unknown.  But the trick is to just ANSWER them.  Literally ANSWER you’re “what if’s.”  What if I lose my job?  Yes, what WOULD I do if I lost my job?  Well, I would call my friend Henry in H.R. and see what openings are available… I would rely on my savings a little until I find a new position… I would remember that the Lord has always given me ways to make a living, etc.  When we answer our what if’s, they start to lose their power.  

It helps us move through that paralyzing barrier and regain our footing again.  It’s such a simple little trick but it works.  Next time you realize you’re thinking “What if____,”  ANSWER it!  It will help.