The Rabbit Hole

IF or IS

 We were all born into the world. The world since we were born 
has always taught us “IF“. 

We learn that the world is our oyster so to speak, full of possibilities. 
That IF we try hard enough we will prevail! We learn to listen to
 our hearts, be true to ourselves, find ourselves. Be whatever we 
want to be. We learn that we determine right or wrong, we choose
 our own paths. We learn perseverance brings perfection. 

Our movies teach us to root for the hero, their courage will 
defeat the villain. That even against great evil, we can find 
strength within ourselves to overcome in the end.

This theme is not just for fictional stories though, it is ingrained in
 everything we are. Most of our religions teach us the same. 
 If you try hard enough, follow the right rules, incorporate the
 proper steps, you can create a path to the afterlife. 

We see things as cyclical, organic. Our schools teach us Naturalism.
That there is no distinction between nature, animals, and mankind. 
We all share the same elements and could just as easily end up
 anywhere in the cycle of time. We take what we see from the
 seasons, that the cycle of death and regeneration is a harmonious
 balance. 

 
 In fact, if you really boil it down, every part of the world teaches
 us relativity. Anything is possible. There is nothing that is 
 real, nothing constant that we can rely on, that will
 never change, or didn’t just happen by chance. Nothing absolute. 
Time is even relative to whatever situation it is being measured by. 
 Without space and matter would it still even exist? 

So truth itself is whatever we make of it. Cycles and naturalism show
 us that behavior is also relative to our nature and circumstance.
And what is the motivation of all these IF's?
 It removes our accountability.   We are able to rationalize our shame, hide behind 
a multitude of excuses. 
 Then somewhere within this denial, we learn
 to find consistency within it. We start to depend on it, and argue it, as 
we would if it were something absolute. Our relative theories become
 fact and our minds settle into a certain path and it gives us peace. 
 This is our understanding of the way things are, according to the 
world of "IF". 

 
 God asks us to look at things in a different way. To say IS and
 not IF. However, this is difficult in the world we live
 in.  We like choices. One right answer is considered intolerant.
Lack of absolutes say, "Who are you to say your way is the right way?".
 
The Bible tells us, that things are not at all random. They were
 designed by a creator, and that history is moving along with a 
purpose. That we all have a destiny and a purpose. That God is in
 control of everything and that everything happens for a reason. 

 It teaches there is only one answer. One path. God is light, 
everything else is darkness, God is truth, everything else is a 
distortion of that truth, so therefore everything else is lies. That the 
world is fallen and broken and we are part of that brokenness and 
the only path to freedom is to trust in God.

 It shows us that no matter how hard we try we can’t control our
 fate. It is impossible for us to find the strength within 
ourselves to prevail in the end. We cannot trust in ourselves,
 that we will always end up in the same place, failure. We are slaves
 to our world, powerless and deceived by it. Unable to see the truth 
because we are part of the corruption. 

 But wait, that doesn’t sound like a good movie. In that movie, the 
Invaders from outer space are the good guys and we are the bad 
guys! That idea just doesn’t sit right with us, we have always been 
taught that WE are the good guys! But what are we
 really trusting in if nothing is real or constant ? Do we really 
want to completely be left to ourselves?
 
 Even so, it is scary, letting go of the natural trust we have in 
ourselves, and trusting in something to take care of us when deep down
 we are so afraid, we know we are full of mistakes, failures, and
 really, darkness. And in order to seek the light we must first face 
our own darkness. 

 
As Alexander Solzhenitsyen said,
“If only it were all so simple, if only there were evil people 
Somewhere insidiously committing evil deeds and it were 
necessary only to separate them from the rest of us and destroy 
them. But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart 
of every human being, and who is willing to destroy a piece of his 
own heart?”

 
 So we have to be ready to let go of ourselves because that is 
where the true deceit really lies, we must allow for our own hearts to
 be cut back to be able to change the way we see things. 

 And as scary as it is to think of things being predetermined, it 
Can be comforting to know there is a constant. An unmoving, 
unchanging, Presence. Something that knows all things, controls 
all things.
 But what if God doesn’t accept us? After all, we just
 Learned to see ourselves as utter hopeless failures right? I mean 
the world has been trying to convince us we are worthy and good 
at heart forever right? Now something just came along 
and disrupted everything we have come to know. 

 It is only natural for us to think we will be rejected. So what do we do? 
 Well, we can look at the Bible and see that God said that He loves
 us, and God cannot lie. The Bible also says that perfect love will cast out 
fear.  
 
 The Bible is full of God's promises to take care of us. It says he loves 
the whole world and does not want any to perish. And let's think about
it, why would God not care for his creation? What benefit would it be to
 him to condemn us? On the other hand, ask yourself if you were
 already condemned would you have the motivation to convince 
yourself and the rest of the world that there must be another way, 
an IF? perhaps? That it would be beneficial to try and prove God
 unjust or wrong?
 
 And because God is just, He also proved he loved us, enough to
 sacrifice a part of himself, his only Son, to save us.
 That sacrifice was so big that it paid the price for everyone’s sins.
 It paid for every failure and horrible thing that was ever done and
 ever will be done, and all we have to do is believe it. It is our choice.
 
 
 Seems simple, but that means letting go of that belief you have been
 taught your whole life that anything is possible, and you can control 
your own destiny, or that there are several doors to choose from.
 We have to trust God to be in charge and not us. Our hearts cannot
believe both. For one belief contradicts the other, they both 
cannot be true. So we pick, it is never God rejecting us. We will 
always pick a God, and it will either be Him or ourselves.
 
 If we do believe what God said, it is like the vale lifts up from our
 eyes little by little, and the more of Gods words we believe the more 
we can see the world for what it is. Completely temporal, it loses it’s
 power over us, the power to deceive us into thinking we can be in
 control, it’s power to convince us that God doesn’t really love us or
 worse that HE is the one deceiving us. 

 So sooner or later we will have a choice, we can keep the veil 
over our eyes and continue to believe what the things around us tell
 us. The IF’s and possibilities! Convince ourselves we actually can
 choose our own reality. Or we can choose to believe the IS. That 
there is real truth and light and hope for the future. Hope in a 
complete and total victory that we don’t have to do anything to 
achieve but just accept. A gift we did not earn and cannot
 repay, but because of God’s love and promises we can be assured, 
unafraid, and walk with confidence in the path He has given us.