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At the center of each of us lies our essential spirit. It is what defines us, makes us individuals, and gives us our ultimate strength. It gives us hope for a greater purpose to the life we lead, and the yearning for a sense of meaning. This core in us is something everyone is born with and will die with, and it is what many believe carries forth beyond death. It is our soul.
 
It is unreachable in a literal sense—there is no one who can access it directly—but we inherently desire to know more about it, in order to better understand ourselves. If you could look into your soul, would you wish to? The ability to know ourselves involves great effort and courage, and is essential to the living of our lives.
 
While a soul cannot be asked a question directly—or answer one at any rate—this fourth collection of "If..." questions is designed to help us explore—at our own pace, and to varying depths—that most hidden and essential part of ourselves. It gently looks at the heart of our beliefs, fears, and hopes, as well as those of the people we love. Like all the If... books, the collection is intended to be used randomly, and we hope the questions will be shared and will give rise to enriching and revealing conversations and deeper knowledge of ourselves and others. We have included some lighter questions as well, not to offend, but to ease the weight of the collection as a whole, and to include one of life’s most important ingredients—smiles—with the contemplation that we intend the others to generate.
 
May you find parts of yourself you weren’t familiar with, and greet them with warm forgiveness.
 
If God were to grant you one favor, what would you ask?
 
If you could make one thing come true for the good of all souls on the planet, what would it be?
 
If you had to name a time when you could say that you were spiritually repressed, when would it be?
 
If you were to identify where the majority of your fears in life come from, what would you say?
 
If you could have changed one thing in the life of someone now deceased, what would it be?
 
If Heaven had to look like the inside of one of your friends’ homes, whose would you pick?
 
If you could make one person you know more religious, who would you pick?
 
If you could make one person in the world less religious, who would you select?
 
If you could have witnessed one religious event, which one would you choose?
 
If you could have asked Jesus one question, what would it be?
 
If there was a time when the death of someone touched your sense of mortality the most, when would it be?
 
If there was a time when, despite your resistance, a change in your life turned out to be for the better, when would you say it was?
 
If you found out you did have a guardian angel, what would you name it?
 
If you had to pick the single most spiritual moment of your life so far, when would it be?
 
If you discovered that you were to die tomorrow, what would you do for the rest of today?
 
If you were to say there was a time in your life when your emotional attachment to someone was detrimental, when would it be?
 
If tomorrow you lost the person you love most in the world, how would your life change?
 
If you had to name the single most important ingredient for a spiritual life, what would you say it is?
 
If you had to choose one way that God’s existence could be proven to the world at large, what would be the most convincing?
 
If you could have God’s existence personally proved to you in one way, what would it be?
 
If you could, for the good of mankind, reverse one scientific discovery or development, what would it be?
 
If one thing you presently own were to become a religious relic, what would you pick?