The What If Bus

I saw a movie a while back and one of the characters talked about being on the “What if bus”. He said he had been a rider at different points of his life and all it caused him was doubt in his decisions and appreciation for what he had or had not done. We have all been on that bus from time to time. We look back at things we have done, or should have done, and the things that happened or didn’t happen to us and wonder what our life would be like now if we had taken a different bus stop. Perhaps the bus stop was one that could have changed our life or even ended it.

I have looked back at different times too and counted my good fortune or rued the stop I made. One “what if” happened to me when I was 25 years old. I was a Navy pilot and was flying about a 100 miles west of San Diego, California. You don’t need to grab a map to know there is nothing there but Pacific Ocean. It was January, the water was very cold. The plane I was flying had two engines and suddenly one of them stopped working and it did so in such a way that the plane was not going to stay airborne. This type of plane did not have any ejection seats. My copilot and I did everything we could to stop the descent as we watched the water get closer. We were certain we were going to ditch in the cold ocean, with the nearest rescue helo over an hour away. Suddenly, about 60 feet above the water, the plane stopped descending and started to climb. Eventually, we managed to land at a Navy field on San Clemente Island. Down through the years, I have thought of that flight and wondered “what if…we had ditched? Would we have survived?”

There have been many other “what if …” situations over the years. Some were personal, some professional, some job decisions, and others changed my life. In 1997, I had a new job and had to go to San Diego for a conference. I was living in South Texas at the time and on a whim decided to call a couple who were casual friends. I don’t know why I did, but it turned out they were no longer married and I asked her out to dinner. That was a life-changing decision because 11 months later my friend became my wife. What if I had not listened to that hunch? Was it indeed a hunch, or was it something else?

We all accept the fact, as Christians, that God is there for us in the good times, the bad times and those in between times. What if God had other plans for me and that is why my plane started flying again when it shouldn’t have. What if I had not followed my whim and not made that call in 1997? How many other times has God whispered in my ear and nudged me to go in a particular direction? I don’t’ know the answer, but I know that some of the things that happened to me benefited me and some did not. What if I had been more aware of some things, some thoughts or temptations? Only God knows how my life might be different today or if I would have a life.

It is easy to buy a ride on the “What If Bus”. We can hop on and off at any stop along the route. The sights and sounds and signs along the way all urge us to get off, to make a decision to stay or hop off. How do you know which is which? Which is the best stop at the time? Perhaps you should consult the bus driver. You know Him well, after all. He is God. He can guide you and suggest the best stops to take and those to skip. You just have to listen since He also the tour guide for this route. He has a tour guidebook for you to consult to help you make the decision. Happily or sadly the decision is yours. If you make the wrong one, He can pick you back up on the next circuit and fix what ever happened at that bad stop.

The What If Bus line has a great destination at the end of the line. All you have to do is listen to your guide’s advice, follow the recommendations of your guidebook, and you will get there.
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What if you don’t, you ask? You don’t want to even know just how bad that destination can be.