Living in the Land of "What If"

Where are you from is a common question everywhere I've lived. Since leaving Canada at age 12 its painfully obvious, pretty much everywhere I've moved that I am not from where I am currently living.
However, as obvious as that might be, where I actually live is not the state I currently reside.

For I am living in the land of "What If". Are you familiar with this place? Perhaps you also live here. I have a couple of friends that abide here with me. I have lived here for the better part of my life and I am so sick of this place. Sadly, I feel as if there is no picking up and moving on. I feel very stuck here in the land of What If. Its somewhat comfortable, familiar. But its also draining. The truth is, living in the land of what if is nothing more than worrying about what will probably never be or about most if not all of the things I cannot control. Living in sin. Why is it sin? Because Jesus said to "not worry about anything, NOT TOMORROW, not what we eat, drink or wear". He said to "cast our cares on Him because he cares for us". He said to "look at the birds of the sky and the lilies of the field, they neither sow nor reap yet your heavenly Father takes care of them". See 1 Peter 5:7 Matt. 6:25

This adoption, more than JG's has me playing the "what if" game. What if...she hates us...what if she doesn't want to come home with us...what if she has had some really bad stuff happen while in Foster Care...what if the plane crashes? On and on to the point of exhaustion. The what if game has me, in my mind, guessing every single possible scenario in only one direction...the negative one.

What about the land of promise? This is believing in and standing on God's promises and recognizing that while things will not always be perfect (in fact far from it most of the time) His promises are still true and trusting in His ways (which are higher than our ways) bring so much peace.

I encourage you today (as I also encourage and challenge myself) to get up move out of the land of What if and into God's promised land. Its not going to be easy or comfortable most of the time but the peace that carries you as you walk through it is well worth the journey.