“What If” was a song on Nichole Nordeman’s Brave album that came out in 2005. It had some relative popularity, and I felt like I heard it fairly often for a few months. However, due to some other very popular albums that came out shortly thereafter, it was quickly pushed to the background. To be honest, I don’t think I’ve heard this song in three or four years.
However, I still think about the lyrics of the song often. The song talks about asking yourself questions about what you believe, specifically about Jesus. The chorus goes something like this:
“But what if you're wrong?
What if there's more?
What if there's hope you never dreamed of hoping for?
What if you jump?
And just close your eyes?
What if the arms that catch you, catch you by surprise?
What if He's more than enough?
What if it's love?”
Being a math guy, I tend to think about things in a logical kind of way. So I find myself constantly asking the question, “what if I’m wrong?” so I can weigh the consequences before taking a risk. The majority of the time I am wrong and I want to be sure that my mistake won’t get me fired, killed, or kicked out of my house. However, none of those consequences even compare to the impact being wrong about my faith would have. So obviously, I have spent some time thinking about this.
I know Jesus Christ is real, and He is the Son of God. I have experienced His presence on so many occasions and my relationship with Him has changed my life. However, I still have to wonder what happens if I am wrong.
If I continue my life as planned and I am dedicated to serving God in every aspect of my life, what will the results look like? Hopefully, I will keep getting better at following the teachings of the Bible. I will find ways to encourage, love, and serve everyone around me. I plan to tell other people about my relationship with Jesus in hopes that they will get to know Him as well. I want to be as much like Jesus as possible.
What if I’m wrong? Well, it will seem like I have dedicated my life to becoming a better person and helping other people for no real tangible reward after I die. I may have also led others to do so. So the only result of me living a Christian lifestyle that could even be argued as negative is that I missed out on doing more things for myself while I was alive. I was not selfish enough.
You know what? If I’m wrong about who Jesus is and the absolute worst result is that I was not selfish enough, I’m perfectly okay with that. That is a risk I am more than willing to take.
Now, I am not really into “fire insurance” evangelism. Being a Christian is about so much more than a fear of hell. However, if I was not a Christian and the results of my “what if I’m wrong?” analysis showed eternal consequences, that would be enough for me to take a deeper look into Christianity.
What about you? Are you comfortable with the risk associated with deciding to follow Christ? If you are not a Christian, have you thought about what the results of your decision will be? What if you’re wrong?