What Would Have Happened

In The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis there is a scene in which the young girl Lucy is given the opportunity to read a magical book. She came to a page in which there was a spell that “would let you know what your friends thought about you.” She said the spell (knowing that she really shouldn’t) and eventually she saw in the book a conversation between two of her schoolmates on a train. She started to hear their words. One spoke negatively about Lucy, and the other—the one who had really been Lucy’s friend—replied, “I’ve got more sense than that. Not a bad little kid in her way. But I was getting pretty tired of her before the end of term.” Lucy shouted back, “Well, you jolly well won’t have the chance any other term! Two-faced little beast.” The book continues, “But the sound of her own voice at once reminded her that she was talking to a picture and that the real Marjorie was far away in another world.” A little later, after Lucy said the spell she had actually been sent to find and pronounce, Aslan the Lion showed up. After embracing her, he said, “Child, I think you have been eavesdropping.” When she responded with surprise, he continued, “You listened to what your two schoolfellows were saying about you. Spying on people by magic is the same as spying on them in any other way. And you have misjudged your friend. She is weak, but she loves you. She was afraid of the older girl and said what she does not mean.” Lucy lamented, “I don’t think I’d ever be able to forget what I heard her say.” When Aslan agreed with her, she continued, “Oh dear, have I spoiled everything? Do you mean we would have gone on being friends if it hadn’t been for this—and been really great friends—all our lives perhaps—and now we never shall.” In other words, she was asking him to tell her what would have happened to their friendship if she hadn’t just soured it through this eavesdropping. Aslan, the Christ figure, gave this profound response, “Child, did I not explain to you once before that no one is ever told what would have happened?” I think that there is spiritual wisdom in this statement, for similarly I think we generally do not get to know from the Lord what would have happened if we had made different choices or not made certain mistakes. No, we cannot dwell on the past and the what ifs and the sins that we have committed, wondering how things would have turned out differently under different choice. Instead, all we can do is to look forward with faith in Jesus Christ towards the future, knowing that if we cannot change the past, He can change our future.  

                One well-known story from the life of Joseph Smith highlights this idea well. When Martin Harris lost the 116 pages, they were lost. There was no getting them back, and we do not get to know what the Book of Mormon would be like with them. The writing on them is forever gone to us. Joseph did get a glimpse of the fact that the Lord would have helped him if he had had the faith to say no to Martin Harris—"he would have extended his arm and supported you against all the fiery darts of the adversary”—but that was all and those sacred pages from the Book of Lehi were gone. But the comforting part of that story is that the Lord, in His wisdom and power, prepared for such a mistake and made a way for His work to be accomplished despite the weakness of His servants. He told Joseph, “The works, and the designs, and the purposes of God cannot be frustrated, neither can they come to naught…. Remember, remember that it is not the work of God that is frustrated, but the work of men.” For each of us when we make mistakes or fail to follow the promptings that He has given us, these words can be our guide: “But remember, God is merciful; therefore, repent of that which thou hast done which is contrary to the commandment which I gave you, and thou art still chosen, and art again called to the work” (Doctrine and Covenants 3:1, 3, 8, 10). We may not ever know what would have been if we had not made this or that mistake, but we can know that there is still a way for us to be forgiven and do the work the Lord has called us to do. Joseph Smith went forward and eventually kept translating and still brought forth sacred text from the Nephites to us. No matter what bad decisions we have made in the past, we can take comfort in this promise of President Nelson: “I promise you that the future will be glorious for those who are prepared and who continue to prepare to be instruments in the Lord’s hands. My dear sisters, let us not just endure this current season. Let us embrace the future with faith!... I promise that as we create places of security, prepare our minds to be faithful to God, and never stop preparing, God will bless us. He will ‘deliver us; yea, insomuch that he [will] speak peace to our souls, and [will] grant unto us great faith, and … cause us that we [can] hope for our deliverance in him.’” We can start where we are, looking forward with faith to what the Lord has prepared for us, despite our many mistakes, and keep striving to accomplish the work He has for us to do.