What If!

Acts 25:11 If, however, I am guilty of doing anything deserving death, I do not refuse to die. But if the charges brought against me by these Jews are not true, no one has the right to hand me over to them. I appeal to Caesar!”

Have you ever wondered what would have happened if you had made a different choice at a critical moment in your life? What would the ‘different path’ have looked like? How would things have turned out?

My father had just such a moment in his life. It was just after WWII. He had served in the Pacific in the Navy. He was back in Boston his home turf preparing himself for the new life after the war like so many others.

He was walking down the street in Boston and a man had set up a table and was demonstrating a new type of camera that processed the images instantly. The man was offering shares in this new company for only $1000. The man was Edwin Land. He developed the process that made Polaroid cameras possible.

My dad did not invest the $1000 dollars. He had it, (if my memory serves me correctly) but he chose not to invest. If he had, he would have been a multimillionaire. And my life would have been very different. He chose a different path.

Now there were fruits of this different path. I learned to work hard for the money I made. I learned the value of work and of money. He worked very hard his whole life. He was able to provide a safe and provisioned home. And my mother still is cared for by the funds that they both accumulated during their life together.

Paul could have not appealed to Caesar at that moment. He could have continued to work with Festus in an effort to have him convene the court and finish the case. He could have pushed Festus to do what he should do, not what was politically expedient.

But Paul didn’t. We don’t know the tone of voice or all that took place before Festus that day. We don’t know the back dealings that had happened surround the Jews who were there. Paul certainly knew these things.

One thing is for sure, we wouldn’t have the Prison Epistles if Paul hadn’t been sent to Rome. Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians and Philemon. They would not be with us.

But I am sure that Paul would have produced other letters. He was an encourager and a leader of the early Christian community. But we will never know.

That is the reality of “what if” postulations. We will never know. Often times we don’t even know for sure about the life we are living, let alone any alternative we might imagine.

So make the most of the life you do have. Serve Him with energy and commitment. Make a difference in the life you are living.