“IF”

Perhaps you had to read Rudyard Kipling’s poem in Lit. Class at some point.  Remember the first line?  “If you can keep your head when all about you, Are losing theirs and blaming it on you…”  There are many good lines in the poem and there are people in our culture that would do well to note the character values implied.   I’m not a student of poetry.  I suppose there is something about Kipling’s life or some hidden meaning in the poem that should have him canceled but I’m not that woke.  What I note is the word, “if.”  “If” is notable because it is used often by Jesus and the apostles.  If you have ever read Oswald Chambers (My Utmost for His Highest) you may have noticed that he refers to the “if” of discipleship quite often.  Discipleship always begins with “if.”  Jesus said, “If anyone will follow Me, let him…”  There is no force, coercion or manipulation.  Jesus simply invites people to life.  Most people I know have said no to Him at some point.  A periodic “no” is not the end of one’s life or salvation.  Even saints occasionally decide they know better than Jesus what life is about and how to live it.  How we respond to the “if” of Jesus is a matter of the heart.  If my heart is tender, discerning and open, it seems natural to lean into the One who loved me and gave Himself for me.  However, if little choices of willful disobedience have been left uncared for and unconfessed, my heart gets hard and the “if” of Jesus seems like it doesn’t really matter.  We ignore the invitations of Jesus to our own peril and the state of our heart is affected by our choice.  Have you heard the “if” of Jesus?  How has your heart responded?