IF

As the current golf season gets into full gear I am hoping to play more than I did last year. One of my favorite golf terms is “Mulligans.” The infamous term in golf, for those like me, that comes into play when you hit one of those shots that you just wish you could do over again… You know, the topped my ball, out of bounds, in the water, rolled into the bunker, stuck behind a tree kind of shot that won’t do anything to help your score. In a friendly game the usual set is one for each nine holes, and if you play the video golf version you can arrange the settings to have as many as you want…

Staples has produced a product that for them is a symbol of the simplicity in finding the answers to business life, the “Big Easy Button.” When you’re in an office jam you push the button and the answers will just be there. Wouldn’t it be great if there was a “Do-Over Button” that functioned as a “Mulligan” for life? How many times have we wished to have a conversation over again, or done something differently, or acted differently and if we could go back and change it our lives would be so much better… or at least more peaceful…

“IF is half of LIFE.” I know for myself that making “WHAT IF” statements will not change what has already happened, and really has no benefit other than to help me make a different decision in a similar situation in the future. Sometimes you can get so stuck on what took place in the past that you can’t let go of it, and it actually prevents you from moving forward. Hanging onto what could have been leads to holding grudges, complacency, indecision and the inability to be functional. In a sense living the “IF” does swallow up half of your life…

Letting go of what might have been and looking forward to the potential of what could be is not an easy step. Life would be so much easier if we had a “Magic 8 Ball.” Maybe you remember that toy as a child and asking a question then shaking the ball and waiting for an answer to appear. To have that information at our disposal now would be of tremendous benefit, but it would also rob us of one of the most important parts of life…FAITH. With the answer to tomorrow in front of us the aspect of faith would be removed. Faith is sometimes spelled R-I-S-K, because it is a decision to move forward without knowing exactly what tomorrow is going to bring or where it will take you…

For some, tomorrow is no worry at all because they have faith in God and know that He is more than capable to handle what tomorrow will bring. All “Mulligans”, “Easy Buttons” and “Magic 8 Balls” aside, the only true guarantee with regards to tomorrow is to place your trust in God. He took care of yesterday, is looking after today and will be present tomorrow, and He wants you to put your faith and trust in Him. We only have the opportunity to go through life once, and then we have to answer for our actions during this life (Hebrews 9:27-28).

You can “IF” your way through “LIFE,” or you can LIVE your life in FAITH.