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The Urim and Thummim were stones kept in the breastplate that covered the ephod, which was a vest worn by Aaron, the High Priest of Israel. The breastplate was encrusted with twelve stones, each representing one of the twelve tribes of Israel.  David requested the ephod to be brought to him, when he needed to inquire of God which decisions to make concerning his enemies.

For a long time, I have been going along with the current thinking that God has a specific plan for my life, and if I miss it, it’s all over.  It’s an awful lot of pressure.  What if I take the wrong job?  Marry the wrong person?  Buy the wrong car?  Go to the wrong school, get the wrong degree, and spend the rest of my life not doing the absolute perfect will of God?  Does it matter?  If it does, then I could so totally screw this up.  And how far do I carry this?  Should I have the eggs, or the pancakes?  Hot tea, or iced tea?  Wear red, or yellow today? And the most culturally relevant question in the church today:  whether to go to church at all, and if so, which one?  Saturday, or Sunday?  Is it more spiritual to go to first service, or third?  What if I go to third service, but the person God wants me to marry only goes to first?

What if, after all these years of studying scripture, and spending time with God, I can make a choice based on wisdom and personal preference?  What if God really cares about whether or not I learn anything from my mistakes (or from the mistakes of others) or just by the normal process of growing and maturing, and choosing, or not choosing, and observing the fruit, or lack thereof, and deciding differently next time?

What if?