What if?

What if you woke up today... 
with only the things that you 
thanked God for yesterday?

• What if I never ever had to constantly deal with clinical depression?
• What if there was no such thing as anxiety?
• What if my parents were both still alive?
• What if I were married and had children?
• What if there was a "get-out-of-pain-free" card?
• What if the hokey pokey really is what it's all about?
• What if hope came easily, and fear was non-existent?
• What if I'm just not good enough?
• What if my self portrait really is shades of dismal gray?
• What if I didn't feel like crying, and want to hide from everyone and everything?
  
  (like I have been hiding from posting on my blog for the past couple of weeks... not really wanting to face the world... not wanting to admit, even to myself, yet another slog through depression's quicksands)

What if? ... What if? ... What if??
There are so many "what ifs" in life - almost as many as there are "whys".

I don't have the answers to any of these questions (well, except maybe the one about the hokey pokey)... but I do know where those answers can be found. However that will require that I stop trusting in the "arm of flesh"... set aside my pride, fears, anxieties -- and replace them with a renewal of faith and trust. Not sure how I moved from that place of faith... but I want to go back there!!

"[Jesus Christ] knows of our anguish, and He is there for us. Like the good Samaritan in His parable, when He finds us wounded at the wayside, He binds up our wounds and cares for us (see Luke 10:34)... the healing power of His Atonement is for you, for us, for all."

(Dallin H. Oaks, "He Heals the Heavy Laden," Ensign, November 2006)