Asking “what if” is one of the most creative and contemplative questions we can ask ourselves. How many books, poems, paintings, songs, plays or other creative works have come to life because the artist dared to ask, “what if?”
“What if” is how we find meaning. It is how we begin to make sense of the senseless and read between the lines of reality and the mundane to discover something new and rare. “What if I created an imaginary world of dragons and elves and hobbits, of secret doors and alternative worlds?” ask imaginative and deeply spiritual writers like J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis. “What might that world teach us about ourselves? About God?”
What if I created a seamless and perfect form from a rough block of marble or brought to stage the complexities of life, family, addiction, love, hate, sin, God? What if I put paint to canvas or paper (or clicked the shutter at just the right moment of time, color and light) and captured the sacred in the midst of ordinary existence? What if I could make it seem like dancers were flying through the air or sang a song that would speak to your heart and your very real human condition?
And what if I could do all these things and didn’t? This is the call of the artist, and for those of us who hold and share a belief in a Creator-God, it is a call to holiness. It is a call that must be answered and responded to. Ask most artists why they create and you are likely to hear some version of, “because I have to…because I wouldn’t know how NOT to…because it’s who I am.”
But asking “what if” is also a call to us all to think and imagine more broadly. It is “yes and” and “no but” instead of “either/or.” Whether we consider ourselves creative or not (and I believe we all are and can be), to ask this question is to step outside our own little worlds for a brief time and consider the alternative. Whether we are seeking to create a work of art or a healed relationship, asking “what if” is a place to start and a place to pray.
To end, I wanted to share with you a poem written by my friend and fellow spiritual director, Jeanne Baer. Jeanne asked “what if?” in dealing with the pain and confusion of her father’s death and in seeking to make some spiritual sense of loss. Read carefully. For this is more than a list of “what if” questions. In these few poignant lines, Jeanne gives us the privilege of listening in to a painful and personal internal dialogue leading to revelation and the presence of God.
What If
What if I never forgave my Dad?
What if God helped me to forgive him?
What if I never spoke to him again?
What if God helped me to find the words?
What if I carried the pain of memories to his death?
What if God healed me of those memories?
What if I couldn’t forget our differences?
What if God showed me our commonalities?
What if I always wished he done things differently?
What if God showed me he was doing the best he could?
What if I could only see him through my eyes?
What if God showed me how to see him through God’s eyes?
What if I carried all the pain and hurt to his death bed?
What if God allowed me to be the one to lovingly lead him into the arms of Jesus?
As you can see, I am human.
As you can see, “with God, all things are possible.”
– Jeanne M. Baer
Ask yourself in silence: What if I responded today to a call I have been ignoring?
Awesome! Great Way to Start this Saint Valentines Day… Thanks Steve and Jeannie,
Wow! Gives me many thoughts for reflection! You always invite me to dig deeply.
“What if” I never subscribed to your writings……when I am always learning something new from you. Thank you! you make me think deeper about things.
God opens so many doors . . . shows us a variety of pathways, when we ask, “What if?” Thank you for the reminder that He waits to show us the way; all we have to do is ask and listen.
Thank you too Steve, for sharing with us Jeanne Baer’s poem! So moving . . . So beautiful! It too applies to many circumstances in life. God bless! Kathleen
What if I had never written to you? What if you had never encouraged my to start my own blogspot? I am still nervous about the path along which I am being led but I do know God is with me all the way. Thanks Steve
What IF, you didn’t come along, Steve Givens…..!?
You have opened my eyes and my mind…my heart too, Steve! For this I thank God and you!
“Good and Gracious God, thank you for the gift of Steve Givens! Amen.”TZH
Dear Steve,
How often have we muttered under our breath or thought out loud the ‘what ifs’ in our life. Too many to count and in too many different ways.
And yet what stands out very significantly for me is my having been, through my small contributions, in my small way, connected to you.
My ‘what if’ would start with having met Anthony.
What if I hadn’t met him, what if he hadn’t enough faith in me to push me to write to you when you encouraged contributions to your blog. I wouldn’t have known about you and be touched by your deeply profound reflections which have made me pick up my thoughts and my pen again.
So I thank my good God for showering such blessings on me for 2 such wonderful and spiritual people in my life and yes, Steve even if we do not ever ‘meet’, I have met you through your beautiful and thought-provoking writing which never ceases to amaze and affect me in my reflection on life.
Thanks, Lily! What if, indeed!
Thank you for the prayers, Anthony. You are a blessing.
Thanks, Peter. There’s no doubt in my mind that God is leading you somewhere…
Thanks, Kathleen. Hope your long cold winter comes to an end soon!
Thanks for the kind words, Rosemary.
Thanks, Judy. Keep digging…
Thanks, Lar, especially for your friendship.