We kept missing it, even though we were going carefully and trying to read each sign while listening to our GPS on the car.
We were in Anchorage, Alaska, the biggest town in Alaska, and in our rental car heading to the hotel. We had the address on paper and had it in our car map program.
As we followed the app’s voice giving directions, we were doing fine. Turn left here, and right there, and go straight, and in a mile go ...
But we kept missing one of the streets we were told to turn onto. Quickly, the map app would correct us by telling us what to do next to get back to the correct street.
We found ourselves going in a wide circle of several blocks, still missing the correct turn.
Around and around, still seeking that road. We knew we weren’t making any progress. We knew we kept seeing the same hotels, businesses and homes again and again.
We both watched carefully for the elusive road, Malibu!
Finally, we saw it plain as day on a small street sign and quickly made the turn. Now, we were on the right track.
Alaska has an interesting bay area called “Turnagain Bay.” The Turnagain is so unusual, it appears to have wide beaches on the sides, but the beaches are really a type of quick sand that hold nutrients for the wildlife and appear to be a great place to walk around. People have been misguided and started out over the marshy, syrupy expanse, and are OK the first few steps, then if they stop — they begin to sink. The sand sucks them down and down until they are drowning, unable to get their feet on solid land.
How did it get its name?
Years ago, Captain Cook was trying to find a shorter passage through the mountains and land and kept being fooled by the bay which was deep in the middle for his ship, but when he turned into an area going the way a shortcut would go, it turned out to be one of these very shallow traps.
He would call out to the crew, “Turn again, boys, there’s no way out!”
He came to so many dead ends, the area came to be named Turnagain Bay.
Maybe you have found several ways that seemed the way for you to go. Instead, it was sinking sand or miry clay to end your journey. Sinking, you couldn’t get up, out and back to where you were to get on the right path!
You longed to go back and change the choice you made.
Spiritually, we need lifting out of the miry clay of our sin, disobedience and shame.
Jesus offers that way!
“He brought me up also out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock and established my goings.” (Psalm 40:2)
Cry out to Jesus Christ for help: to “lift you!” And “save you!” As you turnagain!
