“Conjunction Junction, what’s your function?” If you don’t remember that, this piece may be too old for you. It was a cartoon that taught grammar, if you can believe that. Grammar? Do Americans even know what that is now? 

In a world where memes, avatars, sound bites, emojis, and simulacra often replace thoughtful, deep, and reasoned speech, once upon a time, in a land now far, far gone, we taught cursive, subject-verb agreement, logic, reading, writing, and even correct grammar. 

Again, you were warned. This piece may be too old for you. But if you’ve stuck around this long, maybe you’ll stick around a bit longer. 

Here’s the bottom line (not quite) up front: The importance of If

If: (conjunction) In the event that; granting that; on the condition that

In the lyrics to “Conjunction Junction,” know what conjunctions like if do? They serve to “[hook] up words and phrases and clauses.” Exactly. 

The importance of if in our urgent context concerns what’s unfolding between Israel, Iran, and now the U.S. We are at war–again. As a fellow soldier posted on his Facebook recently, “Well, let’s see how this unfolds.” 

As soldiers, we are not to comment on things political. Our job is to serve and to do so honorably and faithfully. And that is what I will continue to do as long as I’m able. 

I only have one objective in this piece: to ask us to think through how conjunctions like if matter profoundly.

• Hear, O my people, while I admonish you!
      O Israel, if you would but listen to me! (Psalm 81:8, ESV)
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  * If you will fear the Lord and serve him and obey his voice and not rebel against the commandment of the Lord, and if both you and the king who reigns over you will follow the Lord your God, it will be well. (1 Samuel 12:14, ESV)

• My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you, making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding; yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. (Proverbs 2:1-5, ESV)
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  A mere two letters in English: if.

• But (I couldn’t resist the conjunction), crucial.

• My prayer is that we think through what happens if we continue along certain trajectories. Why? Because conditional statements involving if invariably are followed by thens–as in, “If this, then that.” 
• 
  If you’re a man or woman who believes in praying for wisdom (see James 1:5 and 1 Kings 3:9, e.g.), now might be a good time.