I spent this past week at home in my beautiful state of Oregon – we boated, kayaked, waterfalled (I think that can be a verb). We roasted s’mores in the backyard, waited in anticipation for the Butte to catch on fire from fireworks (it’s tradition), and ate a lot of watermelon. All in all, a pretty classic Oregon summer vacation.

As I kayaked around a lake, looking at mountains, baby ducks, and blue skies, I started thinking about God and this idea that He is the God of “what if’s.”

What if, He asks us, I created you with intention?

What if I am the God of the good, and not the bad?

What if I actually love you?

What if there is purpose in the hardships of your life – even the stuff that seems like a mistake – what if it all matters?

What if I am actually sovereign over this world?

He does ask us these questions – He is the God of what if – and these questions matter. They affect how we live.

I experienced this first hand when I was leaving Oregon to come back to Colorado (I know…my state choices are STELLAR). It was one of the hardest goodbyes to date, and I cried with my Mom in the airport as she held me close and all I could squeak out was, “this sucks.” Finally I walked through security as the TSA agents looked with pity at the sniffling girl, got to my gate, got in line to board – and then, almost too good to be true, they asked for volunteers to fly out at a different time. To make a long story short, I got an extra night with my family, a voucher for a free flight, and a chance for God to ask me, What if I am the God of good gifts? What if I really do love you? What if everything is intentional?

What if He loves us? That changes everything. It changes how we view ourselves, and how we view one another. How can we be mean and mistreat one another when we understand that God actually loves us? How can we ignore the good gifts He is always giving us?

What if there is purpose? What if everything is intentional – there are no accidents, no things we should undo – everything is for a reason and part of the greater picture. Every hardship holds a promise, every sadness can find hope. Mom said it this week, storms produce the most beautiful sunsets.

God is asking, in His gentle but honest way, What if I am who I say I am? And what if we believed Him?