Then What?

Several years ago as I was purposefully seeking opportunities to share the truths of God’s word with willing ears I met him. He had a question that absolutely blew me away. It still does today and I think about it often. I know he told me who shared this thought with him but I really can’t recall just now. I’ve used it many times myself since then. It is always appropriate but doesn’t always get into the conversation.

Questions help when you are trying to ascertain someone’s interest in what you’ve got to share. If there is no interest there is no need wasting your breath or their time. Instead it may be a good opportunity to just build a relationship for a future conversation. So, how about them Buckeyes?  Or something like that might be the appropriate question.  Or even what are your plans for the next ten years? That was his starter sometimes. But he had this follow up question that always left me thinking.  He would let someone spend ten minutes telling him their school or career or family goals for the next five or ten or fifteen years and then he would drop the question.

“Then what?”

Two words, then ten more minutes of abstract life goals. Then he would drop the question.  “Then what?” Eventually they would get to the place where they would go through their retirement plans and finally admit they would die. That is when he would ask the next question, the big question.  “Then what?”

It was not the big question because of the two words. It was the big question because of their answer. They had usually just said, “Well then I suppose I will just die”. And he would say “Then what?” Here is the top of the mountain. This question that may appear to be just the tip of the iceberg sticking out of the water is really the complete mountain of an iceberg lifted out of the water and set on dry land. It is huge. After you go to school and graduate and get married and have a successful career and raise a wonderful successful family and you die and your friends and loved ones say all manner of kind and beautiful things about you, “Then what?”

You are an eternal being, a spiritual being having a temporary human experience. After this life is over “then what?” If God’s word is real and right and you are who God says you are, then “What did you do with My Son Jesus?” is the” Then what?” He will ask. The answer to the “Then what?” that is asked then, determines whether you spend eternity separated from God or in His presence.

So the next time you have the opportunity, ask someone “Then what?”