Four men with a skin disease were at the entrance to the gate. They said to each other, “Why just sit here until we die? If we say, ‘Let’s go into the city,’ we will die there because the famine is in the city, but if we sit here, we will also die. So now, come on. Let’s go to the Arameans’ camp. If they let us live, we will live; if they kill us, we will die.” (2 Kings 7:3-4)

If/then, if/then.

It can paralyze us.

It reminds me of Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof: “On the other hand…on the other hand…but there is no other hand.” We can’t possibly consider all the possibilities. Even the ones we’re fairly certain about will likely shift about in reality. We can’t let the unknown paralyze us, because to be honest, there is a lot that is unknown. We’ve persevered through much unknown, and we’ve survived.

It’s not that we set all if/thens aside, refusing to consider consequences. Evaluation and discernment is essential to forward motion in life, but that’s the point: next steps instead of digging holes that keep us where we are.

If/then assumes a “then,” a “next.” If/then looks into, considers, and can move us into the future. Next steps always involve some sort of faith. Make it sound faith.