How many times have we asked ourselves that question?

What if this happened and not that?

What if I said this and not that?

What if I went there and not here?

What if I bought that and not this?

What if I made that choice and not this one?

I wonder how different life could be for many of us if we had made one different choice?

Makes you think, doesn’t it?

Many of our financial situations would look different based on a choice or timing of a purchase.

Our career path would look different if we had chosen a different focus in college or chose to go/not go to college.

Our spouse choice could look different if we had chosen to settle for Mr. Wrong instead of waiting for Mr. Right.

We may suffer less nightmares if we had chosen to stay home and not gone to that party that night.

That car accident may not have happened if you had chosen to go the other way or left a few minutes later/earlier.

The list is endless.

And the what if’s can be haunting.

In my life, I wonder what life would have looked like if I had stayed the course and continued my walk with Christ that had begun in high school.

What would have become of me if I did not make the choice to have my first drink of alcohol in college?

I would have remained pure quite a while longer -that much I can say- and my “first time” would not have left me with unloved regret.

However….if I was not the girl my husband met – the drinker, the party girl, the reckless funny gal that I was – would he even had looked twice at me?

Not too sure how he could have considering we met at a bar in East Lansing on a Saturday night.

If I had not met him….I would not have met and loved his sister whose life dramatically changed my own.

If I had not met him, I would not be the proud Mrs. Barber I have become and the mother of two amazing Barber sons that act just like their incredible father.

On a different note, I wonder, if I could have the same passion for comforting others that I have because of the comfort I have received from the Lord if I had not experienced the despair of grieving a person in a manner that required me to search for a comfort that would be all healing?

Would I be the woman I am today without the experiences I have lived through?

Probably not.

As a wise friend often tells me~ is that good, bad, who knows?

It just is.

I am who I am.

2 Chronicles 22 tells of an interesting “what if” situation.

If this would have happened then that never would have been possible.

In this passage, Queen Athaliah murdered the remains of the entire royal line in the house of Judah after the death of her son King Ahaziah.

King Ahaziah was the king of the kingdom of Judah. We are told that he was wicked and trained in evil ways under the influence of his mother (Athaliah). He was murdered leaving no one to retain the power to rule over the kingdom

This act prompted the queen mother to make the most evil of decisions.

2 Chronicles 22:10

Now when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she rose and destroyed all the royal family of the house of Judah.

This was no act out of grief or love.

The Amplified Bible states this:

Most of the royal heirs that Athaliah murdered were her own grandchildren. She wanted to stamp out the Davidic dynasty and bring Judah back under Israelite control.

Satan had been diligent in his attempts to thwart the plans of God, and because the Davidic line was directly linked to the Messiah, this would have been a strategic move.

IF SHE HAD SUCCEEDED THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN NO BLOOD LINE OF JUDAH LEFT TO FULFILL THE PROPHESY THAT JESUS FULFILLED UPON HIS BIRTH IN THE ANCESTRAL LINE OF DAVID.

What if??

Thankfully, verse 11 tells us that a daughter of the king (Jehoshabeath) took the infant son of Ahaziah to keep him safe! The son, named Joash, was kept hidden for six years while Queen Athaliah ruled. He was raised by a priest named Jehoida until the time came for the truth of his survival to be revealed.

Athaliah’s reign was short lived and her plan to end the legacy of David’s line failed.

But…what if?

The Lord is working His plan for good in all situations. He never rests. He never stops. His plan will never fail.

Pharoah tried to stop the Israelite’s from multiplying in number by killing all the baby Hebrew boys; but, God had a plan for Moses to be rescued AND to also be raised in Pharaoh’s palace prior to becoming the leader that set the people free.

King Herod had a plan to kill all the Hebrew baby boys in an effort to stop the prophesied Messiah from being born; God had a plan for Jesus to be born safely in a manger before fleeing to Egypt with His parents for safety.

God overcomes evil with His good.

His promises have not failed and nor will they ever.

What an encouragement that is!

What if He didn’t?

Life without a belief in Christ looks a lot different…it is a perspective that this is as good as it gets….that our suffering is purposeless…that there is no hope for good to triumph.

I am grateful that I believe.