The weekend What If?

For I.Q.? Nope.

But for greater faith? More patience? Higher capacity for compassion?

More perfect love?

In a heartbeat.

No, because to begin with IQ points are meaningless, and even if they were accurate, intelligence doesn't necessarily bring happiness. So I wouldn't make any sacrifice to achieve it.

But as Anne said, there are other qualities or blessings I would gladly consider.

I'm 100% with Anne L.B.

AMEN!

Only thing seen worth truly seeing is His creation (all of it)- perfect and beautiful – magical and wonderfully created for our enjoyment and His glory!

Blessings,
Jill

No. IQ is pretty meaningless when it comes to the more important things in life. In some ways, my severely retarded son has advantages that geniuses do not have — or at least a level of happiness that they probably will never reach.

I am in total agreement with Anne on this.

When you're already a genius like me, what difference does 40 points make?

I mean, doubling my I.Q. is not going to bring me any closer to working out how to get my hand out of the jar when it's full of peanuts!

For I.Q. points? No. But a scar from my mouth to my eye? That sounds like a really bad scar with a lot of emotional and physical pain behind it. I'm not sure I can sit here and say I wouldn't consider having it removed. Probably would depend on many, many factors.

Wow. Now there's a question! Absolutely not for IQ. I would like to think I would do it for increased faith, especially. I guess I wouldn't know for sure until I was actually faced with such a possibility.

Probably not, for I'm blond and according to this world it doesn't really matter how smart I am anyway…i've always been sterotyped.

However, with every scar there is a story behind it, and if that scar would make me a better individual for Christ, then yeah, it would be worth it in the end.

I think I will leave it all in GOD's hands and try not to change things myself.
Blessings, andrea

Hmmm, I'd have to think about it. If I could use that extra IQ to write better or it allowed me to help people in some way, I'd jump on it.

Hmmm….

Exactly how big is this scar? Is it red or just flesh colored?

Not a chance!

I.Q. isn't worth a scar. I've got enough of those and extra IQ points wouldn't improve my day to day life.

But like Anne said – there are plenty of other things that would make me think twice…

I love Would You Rathers!

You are right that we are drawn to the external first, because that's the first thing we can assess in most cases. That's why I love a story like "You've Got Mail." The relationship grows to the point of falling in love before they have the first clue what the other person looks like. Of course, the relationship in that story isn't built on faith or a shared passion for truth, but I still like the idea of getting to know a person's heart first and then seeing his/her face through the eyes of love.

That said, I'm with Anne and Sarah. A certain amount of intelligence provides for enriching life through learning, but too much tends to spawn pride and self-sufficiency. Some of the biggest fools alive are extremely intelligent.

I'd rather have Jesus and a pretty face.

I agree that I.Q. points have little true meaning. So for points, I'd say no. For a heart that holds more compassion, more love, or a spirit filled with more faith? If God so chose to make that trade, I would obediently accept and cherish His mark upon me.

Would I still get to wear my stilettos?

And, surprising as this may be…I have a pretty impressive IQ already!
(Of course, that all depends on how easily you are impressed.)

No, I would not do it. I have found as I have gotten older that the riches of grace and peace of mind far outweigh the rewards of money and power.

actionkj

40 more IQ points might enable me to do simple math without a calculator, but I'm afraid it would compromise logic and critical thinking that have compensated for my lack of numbers. I'll stay where I am so I can be the one to ask the dumb questions.

So no one would be okay with having a scar if it meant being the next da Vinci or Newton or Einstein? Really? Is intelligence really that bad of a thing? Can't God use our minds as much as our faith or love?

Billy,

Not for all the IQ points in the world! I don't think God makes junk so I would leave myself the way I am and deal with what God designed me for in the first place without changing anything in the process.

Love and Hugs ~ Kat

Good question.

Years ago, Oprah did a show about beauty versus brains – I asked my then 5yr old son which he would chose. He promptly said, "brains!"
I lived by that thought, along with a line from Tina Turner's song with one word changed, "What's beauty got to do with it?"
Yes, I liked to look nice, but I would rather be appreciated and/or known for my brains than my looks.

Now after injuries from an accident, I have a uniquely formed left calf (think shark bite) I've learned that if I don't hide it with clothes, that is the first thing people see when they meet me, and it defines me in their eyes (at least for a time) and controls our initial conversation. I'm okay with that, because I don't mind sharing my story – but when I'm in a setting where I don't want the conversation to revolve around me/it, I hide it. Thankfully I can do with with long pants/skirts.

So a scar on my face … pre-accident, I would have said yes to more brains over beauty, but now I don't think so.

I still value brains over beauty, but I agree with Heather – I would consider removing it, if that was possible.
(that's not a possibility with my leg)

I believe that we increase our I.Q.'s by living in Gods faith and wisdom. The scars we already have teach us daily that we need to be humble. Therefor we each have that scar, might just not be on the outside! Maybe the scar is a mental one and not physical.

Wow, was that too deep?

Steve

mistymorningmountain, intelligence can be used for good or bad, like any other attribute, even beauty.

For what it's worth, I've had bad teeth all my life. I was accustomed to them and told myself beauty didn't matter (even though I knew my teeth were distracting), but didn't realize how much this affected my personality. I never smiled on the outside what I felt on the inside.

God worked an unusual set of circumstances for me to have good teeth now. Guess what? People say I radiate beauty of joy now. It's most striking to people who haven't seen me in a few years. I always felt it, and I'm still very average looking, but even things we think of as superficial can be used for God's glory.

Janet, I totally understand.

(And if I can sneak in a little more … can't remember when so many people agreed with me about anything. Didn't expect it, but I appreciate those of you who did.)

Wow, I've learned a lot from the comments on this post!

It seems like this question isn't ideal for this audience. Christ-followers tend to value soul-change more than increased intelligence.

Janet's comment really made me think. I hadn't considered how a prominent scar could impact every interaction. Especially if it makes "every conversation revolve around me". I'd only thought of whether I would consider myself less of a person (no). I think I have a better idea of the price it would be. And I wouldn't pay the price of a scar for increased intelligence. But for a closer relationship with God, I would.

No, I wouldn't…not for a higher I.Q. I, too, agree with Anne.

Having the unique perspective of posessing both a high IQ and devastating beauty (along with a healthy dose of humility), I can tell you that God can absolutely use both if we only surrender to Him. I use my gifts for good, not evil. Acknowledging intelligence and/or physical beauty is not necessarily conceit, although it certainly can be. (I wouldn't know.)

There is also the sin of spiritual pride, where we wax poetic about how blessed we are when in reality we are incredibly dissastified with our lives and harbor secret disdain for others whose lives seem better than our own.

Agree with Anne, Sarah and others — no scar for higher IQ points. IQ doesn't come packaged with wisdom, so may not be such a good deal.

But, yes, the unseen is by far the more worthy pursuit than the seen.

When I was young, I ran to stand first in line to take whatever scars in exchange for blessings.

Now, I'm a lot older and battle tested. With scars all over, I now walk to stand in that line, with humility and a prayer in my pockets. "Lord, only with your grace can I trade the seen for the unseen."

i like peter's answer

but i kind of agree with misymorningmountain. if we really don't care about our looks, what would a scar be in comparison to having a gift like intelligence that could potentially help glorify God?

Besides, I"ve always found scars make a person's appearance more interesting…

My answer is yes, I would. My IQ is already pretty good so if 40 more points means I could find a cure for cancer, solve major economic issues, help nonprofit organizations better organize to reach more people for Christ, come up with ways to get more Bibles into the Middle East, create better medical devices and medicines to ease suffering, invent more earth friendly products, and figure out how to get grass to grow in my back yard, I think it would be worth it.

Hmmm – I'm kinda with Anne (like lots of folks, it seems), but I also feel that my intelligence (and the intelligence of others') is part of what drew me to investigate Christ (not that it was works, mind you). Perhaps, if I had those extra IQ points (or intelligence, depending on how precise you're being), I could be more of a blessing to others (perhaps). It might just be me, but I see more benefit from intelligence in fulfilling His purpose than beauty.

BUT – God, of course, can use anything. And if I REALLY looked that bad, I could just do all my ministering through the computer, and put up a "non-photo" profile pic!

Great question. LOVE this book.

it's funny reading through the comments. i think the question may have had far different answers being something other than i.q.

would have interesting if vanity played a role if we were offered money.

i would say NO to the i.q. for sure

My first response would be to say yes. My self-esteem is pretty low in feeling that I am not intellegent. Then again, isn't intellegence not necessarly IQ. It's a knowledge of life, the perfect love of God, what we learn from experience and share with others. My final answer: No. I don't think I would. What I know now and what I will learn through life and God's teachings is enough.

My answer would be the flip side of Katie's…my IQ is high enough to suit me, so I'm not worried about gaining an extra 40 points. I'm happy with my appearance, but not so much that I think the addition of such a scar could be overcome. Nor do I want to undergo the experience of receiving it.

So I'll just say no thanks.

No I wouldn't for a higher IQ score. Besides God has allowed most of us to have scars of one type or another (physical or emotional) not to enrich our IQ but our character and to conform us to the image of His Son.

agreeing with Anne on this one

Melanie

I echo Anne L.B.'c comment.

IQ just isn't important to me. I have no idea what my IQ is now, so what would 40 points more or less even mean to me?

I'm an overweight woman with a severe skin problem on my hands, rosacea on my face, and I'm missing half of a finger. Having a horrific scar doesn't really scare me– I'm used to being looked at and judged and walked away from. I guess that's why I like to write. Because it's the one place that people usually hear my voice before they get distracted by the shell I walk around in.

I don't want a scar. Not for I.Q. points. You have to offer me something better than that. How about an extra year with my dad (he died about 16 years ago)? Yep! How about for my mom to be able to walk again? In a heart beat! How about for my husband's friend's cancer to go away? Where do I sign? Oh yeah, for more faith. Okay, that too.
But for more intelligence? No thanks. I have enough of it to hold out for something more valueable…

If you're willing to get your face scared, you need a whole lot more than 40 points!

Um. That would be no.

The discussion here fits in perfectly with Romans 9:20, the next section of the Bible scheduled for a post today on my blog. I linked this post there, and I hope it may send a few more readers your way, Billy.

Thanks for your weekend 'What If" questions. They've all been thought provoking, for sure.

A huge scar in exchange for 40 more IQ points. No thank you. I'd hate to be disfigured AND have a scary IQ. (My IQ level already scares people, so I sometimes lie about it.)

And I'm only half joking.

Would I take the scar in exchange for not losing 40 IQ points I already have. Most likely I would. Why? Because I am proud of my IQ. I know I shouldn't be, and I try not to be, but it happens. I think the prospect of mental or memory problems scares me more than any other danger.

I constantly live in fear that God will decide to cure me of this pride by removing the cause, so I think I work harder at trying to use it for His glory to show how much I appreciate it.

And before you start telling me how wrong this attitude is, and how IQ means nothing, be aware that I know that. I also know it arises from a poor self-esteem, and a need to be good at something, when I felt most of my life that I had nothing. That doesn't mean I can just make it go away by flipping a switch in my head.

no…not for IQ points…

but maybe for the lessons that come with the scar…cos as others have said, there has to be a story behind a scar like that…

hopefully it comes with lessons that make me a better person and a better follower of Christ.