What if...?

“Jesus has prepared the way and has made following our destiny possible, whereas we are helpless by ourselves. We can find and fulfill our purpose by responding to the clear, simple call of Jesus Christ: "Follow Me." He is the doorway to fulfilling our destiny, where our divine design and God-ordained purpose live in perfect harmony.”
― Charles R. Swindoll


     I woke earlier than usual because the room was extremely cold.  It took a few minutes to wipe the sleep from my eyes as I wondered why the heating system was not keeping up with the cold.  When I sat up in bed, I immediately saw the problem.  The back wall of the house was missing.  It was gone.  I ran downstairs to see it was missing there too.  The whole back wall of the house had vanished.  It hadn't fallen to lay across the backyard, no, it was completely gone.  How does this happen?
     My first thought was to call the landlord, but the dial pad on my phone was gone.  Was this a dream?  There was a button that said keypad, but when pressed, nothing happened.  I would have to drive to the landlord's house.  As I threw on my clothes, I rehearsed in my mind how I was going to explain that I had lost the back wall of the house.  I grabbed my keys and ran out the back door, chuckling when I realized I had locked it.  Why?  The back wall was open, the door was of no use.
     As I stepped out into the carport, I immediately noticed another problem.  The top of my car was gone.  All the windows and the roof.  There was no windshield to stop the wind, bugs, or rain.  It wasn't laying off to the side or even inside the car.  It was just gone.  I got into the car and started it.  I waited for the engine to warm, and blasted the heat on my feet.  This was going to be a cold ride. 
     As I drove down my street, I noticed a few of my neighbors were having the same issue.  A car sat on the ground with no tires, another's hood was up exposing a missing engine, while in one driveway a set of wheels lay as though the car was lifted right off them and they were allowed to fall where they were.  Some houses were missing windows, garages, and roofs.  But there were those that were whole, completely untouched by this strange thief who had hit our neighborhood while we all slept peacefully in our homes until the cold came in through missing pieces.  As I drove, I met few cars.  When I did meet a car, the driver and I would stare at each others unique vehicle with it's strange missing parts.  I guess I was one of the lucky ones, because at least mine was drivable. 
     As I pulled into the landlord's driveway I was totally surprised to see their whole house was gone.  Trees, house, sheds, cars, all gone.  It was an open field as if nothing had ever been there.  In the middle of the property stood the couple I rented my house from.  She was crying and he was on his knees in shock.  I decided it was not the time to tell them I was only missing a wall.  They didn't even notice me as I backed out of the driveway and headed toward town.  I would by tarps and cover the back of the house until I figured out what to do. 
     As I approached the counter with three large tarps, I thought would cover my house, I pulled out my wallet.  The cashier did not say a word to me, in fact the few people in the store were not talking.  We were all walking around in shock.  I pulled out my cash, but soon realized there was another problem.  Parts of every bill were missing.  I had a ten dollar bill with a corner gone, a twenty that was ripped right in half and another twenty with the presidents face missing.  The cashier did not seem to be surprised, didn't even seem to notice.  When she opened the cash register drawer all the bills were in the same state.  I picked up my tarps and headed for the door.
     When I arrived home and spread the tarps out in the back yard, I noticed there were holes in all of them.  These were not going to work.  How was I going to keep the cold out.  How was I going to survive?  What was happening on this planet?  Dear God help me.
     Just then, out of no where an angel appeared.  He stood in front of me with a gentle smile.  I looked up at him as I knelt over my partial tarps in the backyard.  He finally spoke.  "God has offered you all of Him.  He has even sacrificed His only begotten Son.  Yet you only give Him a piece of your heart.  You only partially submit your life to Him.  You obey only when His will lines up with yours." 
     "What do I need to do?"
     He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’  To love is to submit and obey.  He has given you a taste of what it would be like if He only gave you as much as you give Him.  Do not hold back even the tiniest part of your heart."
     Over the next days as I spent time in worship and prayer, the missing pieces began to reappear.  The message was clear.  I wanted all of Jesus, but I only wanted to give parts of myself.  I held on to a few habits, a few grudges and even a few wounds.  Then I went out into the neighborhood and shared my testimony.  Some received the missing pieces back to them and some continued to live with the missing pieces, adjusting their lives to accommodate. 
     This is just a little fun fiction, but what if?  What if He only returned as much as we gave? 


Matthew 6:14  King James Version (KJV)

14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you