I Knew I Should've Taken a Left Turn at Albuquerque: The Gospel According to Bugs Bunny

By David Ryser

My students and I stood staring at one another.  Where was God?  One moment we had been worshiping in the sweet presence of God.  In an instant, His presence was gone.

We had taken a wrong turn.  What should we do now?

It was our habit to come together every day, about an hour before class, to have a time of praise and worship.  God would meet us.  His presence would fill the room.  Today was no exception.  We basked in the nearness of God.  Our worship came to a place of transition, and one of the students suggested we take a particular direction in the worship.  I gave my assent.  We changed course.

The moment we did, the presence of God fled from the room.  What should we do now?

We were stunned!  We had come together to meet with God.  Now He was gone.  We didn’t know what to do.  Feeling somewhat responsible for our predicament, the student who had suggested the current direction of worship proposed we should go back to where we were in worship when we had last sensed God’s presence.  The idea was to get back “on track” and proceed from there.

I agreed we should give it a try.  We did.  It failed.  God was gone.  We were heartsick.  What should we do now?

I directed the students back to their seats in the classroom.  As I approached the podium, I sensed this was a teachable moment.  But what did God want to teach us?

As I took my place at the front of the room, God spoke softly into my heart.  I told the students to take out their Bibles and turn to Numbers 14.

Numbers 14 records the failure of Israel to enter Canaan.  Moses has led the people to the Jordan River.  In preparation for their crossing, twelve spies are sent into Canaan to observe the land (and its inhabitants) and bring back a report.  When the spies return, they all agree that Canaan is a land of abundance.

At this point, their agreement ends.  Ten of the spies describe the strength of the inhabitants of Canaan and advise against going across the river.  Two of the spies acknowledge the strength of the Canaanites, but argue in favor of crossing the river and taking the land God has promised to them.

The people of Israel choose to believe, and act upon, the majority report.  They refuse to cross the Jordan River.  Moses pronounces God’s judgment on them for their lack of faith and for their disobedience.  He prepares to lead them back into the wilderness.

At this point we typically stop reading and then teach a nice message on having faith in God and the consequences of disobedience.

But the story isn’t finished.

Numbers 14:40-45 tells us that on the next day, some of the people repent of their decision of the previous day and declare to Moses that they are now ready to cross over into Canaan.  Moses recommends against this course of action.  He informs them that when they cross over the Jordan River, neither he nor the Ark of the Covenant will accompany them.  They will be on their own.

The people ignore Moses’ advice.  They cross over into Canaan, and are soundly defeated by the Canaanites.  After mourning the defeat, the people of Israel turn away from Canaan and go back into the wilderness.

For 40 years.

Does missing God by just one day make that much difference?  Sometimes.

One of my professors used to say, “If God calls you to New York, and you go to Los Angeles, God’s plan for the rest of your life begins in Los Angeles.  And it may or may not include going to New York.”  When we take a wrong turn and miss God, should we go back to where we goofed up and try to get back on course?

It never worked that way for Bugs Bunny.

When I was a kid (a term used to describe the elapsed time between my birth and today), I enjoyed watching Warner Brothers cartoons.  One of my favorite cartoon characters was Bugs Bunny.  A typical Bugs Bunny cartoon would begin with Bugs tunneling underground and then popping up to discover that he had not arrived at his intended destination.  He would then pull out a map, look it over, and exclaim, “I knew I should’ve taken a left turn at Albuquerque!”

And then his adventure would begin.

But he never, not ever, began his new adventure by going back to Albuquerque.

And neither do we.

I was raised in the heavily forested region of western Washington State.  Hiking in the woods was a popular recreational activity.  Occasionally someone would get lost while hiking in the forest.  We were taught from an early age what to do if this happened to us.

When you first realize you are lost in the woods, the first thing you do is:  STOP WALKING!  To continue walking is to become more lost.  If you knew the correct direction to go, you wouldn’t be lost.

And so it is with God.

One of the greatest mistakes we make as individual Christians and churches is to plunge ahead when we miss God.  However we miss Him.  It might be a decision we made.  It might be the wrong choice of a song in a worship service.  It might be an entire congregation going a wrong direction.  Typically, we either charge ahead blindly into the unknown while becoming more lost, or we try to retrace our steps to get back where we were before we became lost.

It won’t work!

When we miss God (either individually or corporately) and find ourselves out of His presence, we need to stop.  Just stop.  Wait for Him to find us and tell us where to go and what to do next.

Wait.  Wait, in spite of life’s pressures.  Wait, in spite of the expectations of others.  Wait, in spite of the demands of ministry.  Wait, in spite of impatience and frustration.

God’s plan for you will begin right where you are.

Even Bugs Bunny knows that.

Responses to this article are welcomed.  You may contact the author at drdave1545@yahoo.com