WHAT IF???

Let's play a game! It's the "What If" game! You know this game don't you? Haven't we all played it at least a million times? This game can be very tiring & mind boggling.  Wanna play? Ready! Set! GOOOO!


What if...I told you that my marriage was a mess? That we are struggling to keep it together? What if I shared with you that my marriage got started as an affair?  What if I told you that I've had an affair since then? Ew, that's a touchy subject! What if I told you that I've considered divorce? Would you judge? What if I said that my family sometimes fights and hollers & criticizes each other? How about if I admitted that at times I've wished that I wasn't a christian? Look out! Lightening! What if you found out that I've even plotted killing in my mind before?  What if I confessed that I struggle with lust? What if I opened up to you and said that I got pregnant at 18, had my baby, then had an abortion 6 months later? Now hold on! Don't throw that stone just yet, I'm not finished! I bet your bucket may be getting heavy by now.  What would you say if you knew that I learned about the damage from sexual abuse as a young child? Hot topic! What if I explained to you the pain of not being believed?  What if I told you that as a child I was exposed to alcoholism and spousal abuse? What if you knew that I depended on alcohol & pills when I couldn't handle the weight of my mistakes & the pain that resulted? How would  it settle with you if I told you that I've attempted suicide more than once? That I've lived with the demon of depression? That I think I'm not pretty, or that I'm fat? What if  I told you that I feel like a failure much of the time as a person, mother, daughter, & wife?  What if you knew that I frequently hate myself & have considered cutting as a way of release? How would you feel if you knew that I've been crippled by so much  fear that I even feared eating or taking medications or supplements or leaving my house or driving or going into
Wal Mart?  What if you found out that I even feared going to sleep? What do you think of me so far? Could this be your story? What if it's your Mom's story, or your Grandmother or Aunt, or even your sister? It could be your Dad's story, your brother or uncle, or you Grandfather, or worse still...your child's story!


What if I told you that amidst all my troubles, failures, fears, disappointments, pain, struggles, mistakes & abuse I still found God?  That I still received forgiveness through the blood of Jesus Christ?! Well, I did & continue to each day! God has loved me since before I was even conceived & he never let me out of his sight. Can you believe that? See, God has been preparing me to do the work he predestined  (pre-planned) for me to do so long, long ago.  Ephesians 1:11-12 It's in Christ that we find out who we are & what we are living for.  Long before we first heard of Christ & got our hopes up, he had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose he's working out in everything & everyone. MSG  and also, Psalm 139:16 your eyes saw my unformed body.  All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. NIV


Are you now, or have you ever gone through some tough times in your life? What if I told you it's because God has a plan for your life that you may not be able to see now or understand? Jeremiah 29:11 I know what I'm doing. I have it all planned out-plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for. MSG  I Peter 5:10 encourages us: And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you & make you strong, firm & steadfast. NIV


What if I told you he loves you more than his own life, enough to send His own Son to die for our sins? Would you believe it? Would you be ready to accept his call on your life, to submit & honor Him?  Psalm 100:3 Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, & we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. I pray that you will answer his call even when life seems to be the worst anyone could ever imagine going through because it is people like you, who are real, that God wants to plant in  a field of wildflowers so that your compassion & understanding can help even a lowly weed, with no purpose, to grow. Although a wildflower is not a weed, they do serve a purpose. Some can be eaten, others used for medicinal purposes & some are just lovely to behold. This is what the Bible says about a flower in Isaiah 40:6-8 "All men are like grass, & all their glory is like the flowers of the field.  The grass withers & the flowers fall, because the breath of the Lord blows on them.  Surely the people are grass.  The grass withers & the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever."
It's ok to be beautiful outwardly but a soft, peaceful inner beauty that is attained from faith during hard knocks & struggles is more pleasing to God!  I Peter 3:3-4 for women-Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair & the wearing of gold jewelry & fine clothes.  Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle & quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight. Also, Proverbs 31:30 Charm is deceptive, & beauty(like the flower) is fleeting(soon fades); but a woman who fears God is to be praised. For men-a handsome or desirable man is one that can apply I Peter 3:7 Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, & treat them with respect as the weaker(without as many advantages) partner & as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers. Also, I think Psalm 1:1-3 puts it handsomely-Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers.  But his delight is in the law of the Lord, & on his law he meditates day & night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season & whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers!NIV Who wouldn't want a man like that, right?! Although this is not a lesson on husbands & wives I felt it important to make this distinction of what is pleasing to God in both man & woman.


 Did you know that the Dandelion that we kill off each year is full of nutrition? The Dandelion is not just a lowly weed nor is it known for its beauty & vibrant colors. It's fluffy,feathered petals  have brought joy to many a child. Seeing the force of their breath spread the fuzzy wonder throughout the field brings them pleasure. Some of it may land right where it is & spread its seed there, while others float away to a new piece of land standing out amongst the wildflowers, & still others may tickle our noses, or plant themselves in our eyelashes or in our hair! Can you just see the image of  God breathing life(the Holy Spirit) into our hearts when we believe in Him & the joy & pleasure he feels as he watches us grow where He has planted us!?
That's not all a Dandelion is good for!  The leaves & stems are great for salads or can be dried for herbal use too! See, the Dandelion, in case you haven't noticed, is hard to kill! They will not give up and neither should we! Phillipians 3:12-14 says it best! "I have not yet reached my goal, & I am not perfect. but Christ has taken hold of me. so I keep on running & struggling to take hold of the prize. My friends, I don't feel that I have already arrived. But I forget what is behind, & I struggle for what is ahead. I run toward the goal, so that I can win the prize of being called to heaven. This is the prize that God offers because of what Christ Jesus has done."  Remember this childhood song? He's still working on me, to make me what I outta be. It took him just a week to make the moon & the stars, the sun & the earth & Jupiter & Mars.  How loving & patient he must be! Cuz He's still working on me! He's still working on you! Don't give up yet!

Could you be a Dandelion? Could I? What if we were real? What if we shared our hardships with each other so that someone else might be saved? What if...


Remember, just because the flower is bright & pretty & smells good on the outside doesn't mean it's all that on the inside nor does it mean that it isn't & never discount a weed! I Samuel 16:7 But the Lord said to Samuel, "The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart."


Psalm 17:8 Keep me the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings...


With much love from a Dandelion!
Stephanie Goode