Let’s play, WHAT IF….
I am a scientist by formal training. I have always been and always will be. I believe in the scientific method of observation, hypothesis, experimenting to test the theory, and then formulating a new truth based on multiple experiments. That’s how I was taught that science worked. But knowing this has recently shifted my thinking and imagination to “what if’s.” Have you ever considered your belief about something—anything—and how it just may no longer be helpful to your life or way of living at this time? What if that belief was to change?
I mean, the idea of “believing” is just a mental concept that you and I have accepted as true. Some things we believe to be true don’t seem to be of much consequence because that belief doesn’t change how we live our lives much at all. But others do. Take, for instance, the belief that the Earth is rotating at 1,000 mph on its axis and is revolving around the sun in an elliptical pattern at 67,000 mph! None of us have really performed any of these measurements, but others have, and we accept their words as truth and continue on with our lives.
But when we say we believe in G-D, what are we really saying? How is it changing how we think or what we do at any particular moment? I’m not saying that we are always thinking about G-D (I mean, WHO can do that anyway), but if we say we believe, the next question is, “And so what?”
What difference does what we say we believe make? If you believe you are loved by someone (whoever that is), how has it made a difference in your life? What if you did not believe that you were loved by them?
Generally, if we believe something is true, we trust it and act out of that trust or belief. But What if what we believe is true is not helpful to our lives, meaning that it does not give us peace or joy or make us feel vibrantly alive? What if what we believe to be true, or at least say we believe, does not help us live any differently—with more joy, peace, or equanimity? No, really?
The one sermon I have ever remembered and will remember for the rest of my life was preached at my home parish in Dallas by our interim rector, Fr. Larry. This was his question during that sermon: “What if that which you believed about G-D was no longer helpful to you, and what if you offered that belief to G-D with the intention that G-D should destroy it for something better— like G-D’s truth instead of your own? He asked if/would/could we experiment to become open and receptive to who G-D really was in our lives. This, of course, acknowledged the fact that what we think/thought or believed about G-D and G-D’s truth of G-D were two different things. One is our imagining of G-D, and the other is who G-D truly is. Fr. Larry taught us to live with “openness and receptivity” to life so that G-D could manifest in ways we have never considered. It was a what-if experiment of mammoth proportions, which I carry with me to this day. The experiment keeps getting bigger (more comprehensive) and better.
The results so far have been astounding, and one of them is my amazement of being here in Baltimore, MD, at this place and at this time. I can assure you that I would have never dreamt of being on this side of the continental US except for letting go of my original beliefs about G-D. I needed to ask, “What if?” and then risk it for any possibility of G-D’s. In that risk, I have experienced this Mysterious Higher Power in new and different ways. Fr. Larry was correct. Living open and receptive to G-D’s possibilities has led me to serve in a great faith community with wonderful colleagues and loving new friends.
Now that we are approaching the first Sunday of ADVENT and a new church year with new possibilities, you might want to experiment with your what-ifs. Who knows? You might discover more peace, joy, and love than you could have ever imagined. The G-D beyond your imagination has got your back!
Stay WARM, Be Blessed, & Don’t Be Afraid to ask: What if…?
With Love,
Freda Marie+