Have you ever played the game Imaginiff by Buffalo Games? In this game, you try to decide what answer best describes one of the players after a question is read about them. For example, "Imaginiff Cindy were an ice cream flavor, what flavor would she be?" Then the players choose from several options of ice cream flavors. It makes you think about that person and their characteristics.

Over the last year or so, I've been asking myself that question about the world. Imagine if there were no laws. Imagine if you had to pay a tax to go to worship services. Imagine if it were against the law to worship God or be a Christian. Imagine if you had to give up your children when they were born and were forced to let someone else raise them. Imagine if you were too poor to feed or take care of your family. Imagine if it were illegal to own a Bible. What would you do?

I know these are all negative thoughts, but it's sad to think that some of this is reality in parts of the world. Most of these things I don't even want to consider even though they've been brought to my attention at one time or another. Other things I have thought about more deeply because I can see a possible solution to the question. I don't have time or space to cover more than one question today, but maybe in the future the other questions can be discussed. If you have any solutions that you would like to share, please email me at the address listed below. I would love to hear your thoughts.

The one "imagine if" that I've thought about a lot is if it were illegal to own a Bible. What would you do if you knew without a doubt that all of our Bibles would be taken away within the next year? I truly believe that most of us would memorize as much as we possibly could or at least study the Bible as if our lives depended upon it. Obviously these are two solutions, but the majority of us cannot memorize the whole Bible and there's so much to learn that we can't learn it fast enough. We can still do our best and we can place an urgency on the need to learn. We can also learn what we would need the most to pass onto our children and grandchildren so they could know the basics of Christianity and pass it on.

I think it would be interesting if different people learned different parts of the Bible in order to preserve it. Wouldn't those Scriptures become part of them - like part of their heart? (That reminds me of the verse that says, "I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you." Psalm 119:11 - NIV) They, of course, would have to pass it on to someone else in order for that part of the Bible to be preserved.

Of course, teaching our children, grandchildren, and other children the Bible is a direct way of passing God's Word onto the next generation. If we stop teaching it, no one will hear. If no one hears, then no one will pass it on.

Another possible way of helping to preserve God's Word is to write it down. If you keep a daily journal, you could add Bible verses within your journal - whether it's in the same order as the Bible or simply passages that have touched your heart at that time. You could copy the Epistles as if they were letters being written to someone, after all that's what they are, right? If you scrapbook, make photo albums, or keep a photo box, passages of Scripture could be inserted among your photos. This not only serves as a way to preserve Scripture, but also as a reminder to those who look at your photos that God and His Word are an important part of our heritage.

I'm sure you can think of many other ways to help keep God's Word for the next generation. Just use your imagination. You will be blessed for it and so will they.

Second Timothy 2:15 says, "Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth." (NIV) I'm sure Paul was not talking about preserving God's Word in case of persecution, but I still think this applies. We want to do our best, we don't want to be ashamed and we do want to do our part in preserving His Word in whatever way we can. After all, God's Word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path (Psalm 119:105), and we would be lost without it!

May we all do what we can to share God's Word with the next generation and the next and the next.... Take the time to "imaginiff" so, with God's help, you can come up with some solutions to the problem.


Like I said before, I would love to hear your thoughts and ideas on preserving God's Word and on the other "imagine if" questions that were mentioned at the beginning of this blog. Or maybe you have "imagine if" thoughts of your own. Please share them with me and, Lord willing, I will be able to share them with others.

(*Note:  Send your "imagine if" thoughts to admin@sonnychilds.com.  In the subject line, please put "Imagine If" or "Note to Cindy".)