What If | Wayfarer

Long Road — (Photo credit: Johnny Peacock)

If the Lord had not been on our side….
Psalm 124:1a (NIV)

The lyrics of David’s psalm this morning are straight and to the point. Had it not been for God, he sings, he and his people would have been swallowed up by their enemies. Suddenly as I read the lyrics this morning I thought of all the ways my life’s path and destination would be different “If the Lord had not been on my side.”

If the Lord had not been on my side:

I would have given myself over to dark impulses a long time ago
I don’t believe I would have found my way out of dark places
I would be buried in and paralyzed by crippling shame
I would be a far worse arrogant jerk than I am
I would be nowhere near the waypoint in life I find myself
I would likely have never met Wendy
Wendy and I might not have survived a few of those years
As David sings: “The raging waters would have swept us away”

What a worthwhile mental and spiritual exercise to start my day, which leads me to a similar conclusion as it did David in his song.

Thanks, God. I am both humble and grateful.

30 Day Blogging Challenge Day 23: Something you always say “What if…” about.

What if I’d been born in a different part of the world, in a different time of history, in a different culture? What would my life be like?

Perhaps I ask the question because I love history, or perhaps I love history because I’m always asking the question. There’s a chicken and egg thing going on there. I feel so blessed to have been born in the United States, in Iowa, in the 20th century. So much of the blessing I’ve experienced in life, which I so often take for granted, is simply because of where and when I was born.