As a parent, my mind is practically hardwired for the “what if.”
What if the kids run into the street? What if we take this road instead of that one? What if we invest our time here rather than there? Every single day, we navigate a labyrinth of choices, weighing microscopic decisions against potential consequences. It is how we protect our families, steer our careers, and plan our futures.
Yet, so many of us compartmentalize this instinct when it comes to the biggest, most irreversible question of all: What happens when this physical life ends?
We live in a culture that often treats faith like a stylistic preference—something as trivial as choosing a favorite color or a weekend hobby. But if the foundational texts of our faith are true, eternity is not a passive waiting room. It is a destination defined by the choices we make right now.
Consider the sheer gravity of what the Scriptures outline. Daniel 12:2 looks past the horizon of the grave to a stark divergence: “And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.” Similarly, 2 Corinthians 5:10 reminds us that “we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ.”
When we strip away the noise of modern life, we are all left standing at a crossroads. We are forced to ask ourselves: Are we willing to roll the dice on the ultimate “what if”?
What if you spend your entire life operating under the assumption that there is nothing beyond this physical world—only to step into eternity and find out you were profoundly mistaken? Conversely, what if you choose to lean into God’s grace, seeking Him out, and discovering that the promises of His Word are as real, vibrant, and welcoming as a sunrise? As many thousands have had the experience of life after death when somehow they found themselves legally dead for several minutes. The descriptions they give are of an awesome place full of beauty and peace. While others talk about an experience that is horrific and scares them into believing the word in the Bible.
I am reminded of a dear friend who was nearing the end of a brutal battle with cancer. When I visited him just days before his passing, I asked him where he stood with God. With the brutal honesty of a man running out of sand in his hourglass, he told me he wasn’t sure about “all that stuff.” But he also admitted, with a quiet vulnerability, that he wanted to know.
We talked about the “what ifs.” We talked about the terrifying possibility of stepping into the unknown without an anchor, versus the profound peace of accepting Jesus as Savior and trusting in the promise of eternity with loved ones who had gone before. We prayed. We read the Word.
The next day, knowing his time was agonizingly short, he decided to stop rolling the dice with his soul. He invited Christ into his heart.
Just hours later, as I was driving home, a street light flickered on and off—a quiet, unexplainable nudge in my spirit. When I called his wife moments later, she told me he had just taken his last breath. She shared something extraordinary: right before he passed, he looked up, smiled softly, and whispered the word, “God.” Thank God he has asked me about God and Heaven the days before he died of that terrible sickness that had ravaged his body from head to toe. He found a peace at the moment he died as his wife explained to me that he was looking up at the ceiling trying to reach up as if he was wanting to touch something. He smiled as he took his last breath and the room felt full of pleasant energy and peace.
All the good things he had done in life—being a devoted husband, a loving father, a loyal friend—made him a good man by earthly standards. But as the Bible teaches, human goodness alone doesn’t bridge the eternal divide. It was his eleventh-hour decision to stop gambling on uncertainty and take a chance on grace that transformed the end of his story.
We all face this choice. We can walk through life ignoring the whispers of the divine, or we can open our hearts to the possibility that we were created for something infinitely greater.
John 5:24 gives us the ultimate assurance: “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.”
You don’t have to navigate the dark waters of “what if” alone. Pick up the Word. Say a simple prayer. Talk to someone who knows the peace of God.
Life is too short, and eternity is too long, to leave your soul to chance. Choose life. Choose God. Some people say, prove it to me. They challenge God to convince them or just deny it. I say why not take a swing at it? Why not just go with it and see what happens? If you don’t and the Bible is real and true then the eternal aspect of your soul will forever regret that life decision. Go for it and hope for the best. Seek his word and wisdom and just learn to beleive!
God Bless
Coach B
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