Navigating the Maze of Life – 10.14.22
We took our daughter and some friends to Lucky Ladd Farms last week. Lucky Ladd is a popular local attraction that provides many activities for kids this time of year. It has a pumpkin patch, petting zoo, slides, hayrides, a corn maze, outrageously priced concessions, and much more. We have been to Lucky Ladd and several similar places many times since moving to Tennessee. Our children have mostly outgrown these activities so I was glad to visit Lucky Ladd again on a beautiful Fall afternoon.
One of the most enjoyable activities was the corn maze. Corn mazes were new to us when we moved here over fifteen years ago. I have finished several before, and I have walked through the corn to get out of a few after getting lost and losing patience! As we walked through the maze on this particularly day last week, I couldn’t help but to see it as a metaphor for life. The maze was filled with countless twists and turns, unpredictable outcomes, dead ends, retracing steps, and frustrating moments. We got lost, we took turns and ended up right where we started, we had no idea where we were going or how to get there, and we had no map to guide us on the journey. Mazes can lead us to frustration, disappointment, anxiety, fear, impatience, and moments of triumph countered by moments of despair. Sounds a great deal like life. As I reflect on my own life and experience, I can readily testify that I have been there. Twists and turns, disappointments, dead ends, starting over, unclear direction, unclear destination, frustration, and exhilaration mixed with sadness. Can you relate? What has been your experience? Where do we turn in these moments, and how can we navigate this journey?
As I pondered these thoughts and questions, some things became very evident from my experience.
1 – Submit yourself to God and renew your mind.
Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will (Romans 12:1-2) Submission to God is our right response to all He has done for us. Without this first and most important step, we will remain adrift in this life and we will be hopelessly lost in the next. When asked about the way to follow Him into eternal life, Jesus responded, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (Jn. 14:6). This is the essential step. These verses also implore us to be transformed by the renewing of our minds if we want to understand God’s will. The pattern of this world is death, decay, lies, deception, temporary enticements, and selfishness. It dulls our spiritual senses, lulls us into complacency and stagnation, and distracts us from the truth. We must not conform to it, but rather, we must renew our minds to resist its allure.
This is a daily practice due to the constant onslaught from the powers of this dark world that are contrary to the way of Jesus (Eph. 6:10-13). How do we do it? Consider Paul’s advice on how to do battle with the pattern of this world and renew your mind. “For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight withare not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:3-5). Take every thought captive and make it obedient to Christ. This is something we must do. Worldly thinking has a way of creeping into our minds and before we know it, we believe the lies and forsake the truth. It is subtle. It is insidious. It is relentless. We must be aware and we must take action. By doing so, we will be able to discern God’s will and our direction in this life. To do so, we need to know (commit to memory), understand, and practice the guidance we receive from God in His Word.
2 – Turn to God’s Word for direction.
Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path (Psalm 119:105).
God’s Word helps us to stay sure footed as we walk this journey. It also provides illumination in the darkness ahead. The maze of life is often rocky and dark, leading us to stumble, remain stagnant, or cower in fear. God’ Word provides just what we need to continue to move forward with confident assurance.
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
God’s Word is exactly that – direction and guidance from Him. Therefore, we should trust and value it as the source for truth. It has great use in our life – teaching, correcting, and training in righteousness. It is our guide to the good life. Despite all messaging to the contrary, God is not a cosmic killjoy, but a loving God who wants us to experience an abundant life. His Word teaches us how to do it and corrects our wayward thinking. Further, it is intended to be utilized to prepare us for the good works He has prepared for us (Eph. 2:10). It is THE guide to the maze of life.
3 – Trust in God, rather than yourself.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight (Proverbs 3:5-6).
Finally, we must resist the temptation to believe that we know what is best for us. This is absolutely antithetical to the prevailing cultural messages of today. We do not know what is best, and our thinking is severely limited by our finite perspective. His perspective is infinite. He alone is the omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent one. Between the two, who should we trust? Submitting to His will and His ways will make our paths straight. We need to trust Him alone. What are you placing your trust in for answers and direction in life? Power? Wealth? Knowledge? We have countless options – all of which will fail us, except for Him. Psalm 20:7 describes it in this way, “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.”
I’m not sure what you are facing today as you navigate your alien journey, but I know you have either been through the maze, you are going through the maze, or you are about to go through the maze. I want to encourage you today to make it your habit to submit to God, renew your mind, take direction from God’s Word, and to trust God over yourself. He will give you the direction you need and He will never leave you alone.
By the way, on our trip to Lucky Ladd we made it out of the maze. I have made it out of the maze in my life too. I pray the same for you.
Remember our citizenship is in heaven!
In Him,
Andy
An Alien Journey 