Joe was baptized in late 1990. It was by no means a forgone conclusion that he would become a Christian. As a matter of fact, it was a major miracle that he ever found God in the first place. You see, Joe grew up with very little religion and what he had, came by way of a handful of church visits, a brief stint in a Sunday school class, and a couple of unpleasant family experiences. Joe was approached by a disciple on the campus of a state university and was asked to attend a church service. He was reluctant to attend because, in Joe's mind, Christianity really couldn't hold a candle to sleeping in and the NFL pre-game on Sundays. Against his better judgment and because his guilt had finally gotten the best of him, he attended a church service and was hooked by the kingdom of God from the jump. He studied the bible and two weeks, a broken spirit, many tears, and much repentance later, he became a Christian. Joe was a pretty outgoing guy and he took to campus ministry life pretty quickly. He became a small group leader, studied the bible with several of his friends, and made a significant impact in the church. He took on several roles in the church from kingdom kids extraordinaire to later becoming the lead usher. He was growing quickly and enjoying God's favor and although he had some significant challenges along the way, Joe eventually volunteered for a church planting 'mission team' and moved away from his hometown to go on the adventure of a life time.
Fast forward 20 years later and Joe is married with children and leading a ministry where he his serving God and his church diligently...but what if he had never proclaimed 'Jesus is Lord' and took the plunge of all plunges? What if Joe never became a Christian and just discarded that original invitation to church and dismissed it as another bunch of religious mumbo jumbo? Where would he be? Where would they be?
Today, Joe is married to a Christian woman named Anne whom he met in his old campus ministry. Their love was founded on their relationships with God. Joe and Anne have two kids. Had Joe not become a Christian, no marriage to Anne, and no kids. Anne's life would have been drastically altered and their kids would've never been born.
One person that Joe helped become a Christian was Dave. Dave was a wayward young man, who many thought to be older than he really was. Dave had grown up without his dad playing a prominent role in his life and the kingdom of God was, like it is for all who come to it, his saving grace. Joe studied the bible with Dave and they developed a big brother/ little brother relationship. Dave serves a youth ministry leader and has played roles in campus and single ministries and Dave's mother has become a Christian. If Joe never becomes a Christian, Dave doesn't either. Neither does Dave's mom and neither do any of the kids in Dave's ministry.
Joe works with a man named Bill. Bill and his wife Anita have been married for 45 years. Joe helped Bill become a Christian. Anita followed shortly thereafter. Bill and Anita have three kids who are all older and have families. Bill and Anita have converted all of their kids and their spouses. If Joe never became a Christian, Bill and Anita don't make it and neither do any of their kids or their kids' spouses...in fact, without Bill and Anita becoming Christians, their marriage fails, even after all those years.
This is just part of the story....what would have happened to Joe's life had he not become a Christian? What if Joe decide to pass on Jesus and live for himself. Joe longed to be a part of something so he joined a fraternity. The frat life and party scene was Joe's bag and he gave himself over to it. During the last party of his senior year, Joe met a beautiful girl named Ginger. He pursued Ginger until she caved. They went out for a couple of months before Joe, obsessed with Ginger, popped the question. Joe graduated shortly after his proposal and landed a good job. Ginger quit school to marry Joe and shortly after their honeymoon, Ginger became pregnant and nine months later Joe Jr. was born. Joe was scared of being a father since his relationship with his dad was so dysfunctional. But he kept his fears to himself. On Joe Jr's first birthday, he lost his job. Rather than tell his wife, he was never good at confrontation, he hung out at a local bar and went home everyday at 5pm acting as though he worked a full day. He couldn't tell Ginger, she would get too worried, plus, they weren't close really anyway since the baby was born.
Ginger didn't want much intimacy nowadays. Because of the uncomfortability of being pregnant and the 30 lbs of baby weight, Ginger never wanted to even go there again. Knowing Joe wanted more kids, Ginger had to avoid intimacy at all costs. Without it she surmised there would be no more babies, no more bad body changes, and no more worries. At least so she thought.
During his days of hiding out at the bar, Joe met Missy. Missy was a bar maid, who had been in many relationships, and always got caught up in the wrong situation. Joe dumped out his guilt ridden heart to Missy one day and Missy, wanting to rescue another broken man from utter ruin, invited him over to her place for a meal and some extended talk away from her workplace. One thing lead to another and Joe did what no married ought to do with any woman outside of his wife. Joe returned home that night, more guilt ridden than ever with another secret he couldn't reveal and a conscience that was not only seared but shattered. As the bills came in, multiple checks bounced and another job could not be found, the jig was up. Ginger confronted Joe and Joe spilled the beans...about having no job and about having a one night stand with Missy. He couldn't hold it any longer. The truth was out and Ginger was crushed.
Joe and Ginger divorced shortly thereafter. Ginger couldn't even stand to be around Joe and she wanted no part of forgiving him. Ginger moved in with her parents and Joe had to go live with his brother, while drawing unemployment. Joe never saw Joe Jr. because he felt too much shame to ever face him and rarely paid his child support. He descended rapidly into depression, alcoholism and became addicted to heroin that his brother constantly stole from a mutual 'friend' who worked at a local hospital. One rainy night, after a party at his brother's house, Joe, drunk and high, got into a fight with his brother and left to take a drive and cool off. It was the last time anyone saw Joe alive. It had rained just enough that night to make the roads slick and Joe was judged to have been driving about 30 mph over the speed limit when he lost control of his car and wrapped it around a telephone pole. Joe suffered massive head injuries and was pronounced dead on the scene by the paramedics who attended him at the crash site...Ginger found out about the accident by watching the local news and through a cascade of tears, tried to explain it all to little 3 year old Joe Jr. Joe Jr. would spend his entire life wondering why his dad never wanted him to see him when he was young and why his dad had become a drug addict and died because of it. Ginger never recovered from the heartache Joe had put her through. She never remarried and she spent most of her life working sub-standard jobs and trying to raise a boy who was in and out of trouble and whom she could never really connect with. Joe Jr. ended up going to prison for felony armed robbery and felony drug possession. He always claimed he was a product of growing up without a father and frequently blames a broken family for his current situation. It's a true reason, but dismissed as nothing but an excuse. Ginger died of heart failure at the age of 40. She was penniless, and by all accounts was extremely unhappy with everything about her life....
Crazy story huh? What if Joe never became Christian? Look at all that might not have happened and look at all that could have happened? This is all just conjecture and the story was all somewhat fictitious, although I have heard stories similar to this throughout my life. What is the point to all of this? It is really just this simple...Your life of discipleship means something and it has profoundly impacted more people that you have probably ever considered. Think through your life. Apply your story. Examine the what ifs and apply your sinful nature, unchecked, to where you were headed before Jesus. Where would you be without Him? Where would they be without Him? Where would it all be without you making a decision follow Him and to keep following Him no matter how tough it gets? What if I never had decided to follow the Lord??....To be honest, I don't want to know how my story would have turned out, because it is a guarantee it was would not have not have been 'happily ever after'. It is so true that my worst day as a Christian is better than my best day was before I knew Jesus. Please always remember this, your life as a Christian, no matter how hard, has made and will continue to make a difference. Let's resolve to never have to worry about the what ifs but only to concern ourselves with the what will happen as we continue to follow the Lord!
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