Not too long ago, in my woman’s small group, we talked about how we tend to become obsessed with the “what ifs”. In our day to day worries we often analyze everything with “what if.” For example, me and my teammates are down to the wire before leaving this country for 11 months. We need the right amount of money, the right amount of supplies, we need to tie up some loose ends, and we need to just prepare for this journey. It’s easy for us to start to panic……thinking this trip won’t happen.
“What if the funds don’t come in?” “What if I get really sick or somehow held up?” What if a family member gets sick?” “What if….?” Etc, etc. We also get stuck on the “if onlys.” You can fill in the blanks.
While we are fretting and stressing, God is up there either laughing at us or shaking his head. When will we learn? Take John 11 for example. Basically Lazarus dies so Mary and Martha, his sisters, send word to Jesus (as he loved Lazarus). He waits two days and returns to bring life back into Lazarus. Both Mary and Martha tell him that if only he had been there, their brother wouldn’t have died. Before he had returned to Bethany, Jesus had told his disciples that he was glad he hadn’t been there, because now they would truly believe. Martha’s if only, turned into Jesus’ if. Jesus returning and bringing life back into Lazarus was for the glory of God.
“Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?” John 11:40
So how does this relate to us today? Well, Jesus wants us to turn our “what ifs and if onlys” into his “ifs”, aka his if you believe. By putting our faith in him, we are letting him know that we believe. Our everyday problems and stresses are his to carry. We are here to glorify him and live a life worthy of his works. God sets out armour for us everyday, it is up to us to put them on.
As I prepare to leave my life in America, I am learning more and more about leaning completely on Him. It is by his glory that I am going on this trip and that what needs done will get done. I don’t know where I will be in two months or the months after that, I don’t know what I will be eating, where I will be sleeping, or the heartache I may experience. I do know that my Savior raised the dead, walked on water, and died for me…..that’s pretty cool.
You may be wondering about the title to this blog. Well, the other morning I was out for a run when I saw a squirrel and a crow on a corner. There appeared to be some food there. Now, this squirrel knows that winter is coming and he needs to stock up on 
supplies. Instead of asking “what if this crow is really hungry and eats me?” or “what if it’s a trap and there are other crows waiting in the shadows to make a meal out of me?” Mr. Squirrel instead trusts that the crow is not out for a meal. I like to think that he reaped the benefits and the crow shared the food with him…..in fact I am pretty sure that is what I witnessed. I say Put on the armor, trust God and Reap the benefits.
supplies. Instead of asking “what if this crow is really hungry and eats me?” or “what if it’s a trap and there are other crows waiting in the shadows to make a meal out of me?” Mr. Squirrel instead trusts that the crow is not out for a meal. I like to think that he reaped the benefits and the crow shared the food with him…..in fact I am pretty sure that is what I witnessed. I say Put on the armor, trust God and Reap the benefits. 
