Following His Way

One of my favorite gifts I received this past Christmas was a three-dimensional maze. When it was given to me, there was some money inside and I had to figure out how to get the money out! Well, on one side there was a lid, and on an adjacent side a slider with a hole in it. If I could just get the ball (see picture at left) in the hole in that slider....everything would be just great! As you can see, on all the other sides it is a maze, with many traps and holes for the ball to fall into. My challenge is to first chart out the correct path, and then by turning the maze different direction make the ball go where I want it to!


I have probably successfully completed the maze at least 10 times by now, so I've pretty much memorized the route that the ball should go. The problem is, the ball hardly ever goes where I want it too! When I try to get it to go down X route, it doesn't! It goes all the way back to another side of the maze. Carefully and patiently I must take the ball from its current position and guide it back to where I want it to go. This pretty much repeats itself for the entirety of the maze.

You know, I've been thinking about this maze. I was so surprised when I realized how closely it parallels our spiritual experience. We're like the ball in my maze, trying to get somewhere but failing miserably. When we yield our lives to God, we let Him take control and guide us through this Maze of Life. He sees the pits and traps we could fall into, so He tenderly guides us in the way we should go. But it seems more than not, we see the directions that God gives us and say, "What? You want me to go THERE??" Then we go off on our own way, the way we're sure is correct. And what happens? We fall back, get stuck, and call on God's Name again. Carefully, patiently he helps us go in the path that we should go. We may not see the big picture, or where we're going, but He does. If we let Him, He will guide us around all the traps--and take us to true happiness.

We may never see "the big picture" of where we're going. But that's okay--we just need to follow His directions one step at a time. We need to have faith that God would take us only where we would want to go, if we could see the end from the beginning.

Sometimes it's hard to follow His directions and plans. Sometimes we're just so sure of ourselves that the best place for us would be over there, not here! Or maybe God's asking us to do something that we don't like--or maybe it's something sad or scary.  But we need to remember that God sees the end from the beginning, and that He is taking us on the best course, to strengthen our character and lead us to happiness.

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him." ~Rom. 8:28

Have you been having trouble finding your way in the Maze of Life? Perhaps you should think about giving your life and plans to the great Maze Master, and He will help you find your destination!