Navigating the Labyrinth

Ever since I was a young child, I was fascinated by mazes ... labyrinths.  Perhaps it was the ancient story of King Minos that first captured me.  King Minos was the legendary ruler of the Minoan civilization, which flourished on what is now the Greek island of Crete from 2000 - 1400 B.C.  According to legend, King Minos constructed a massive labyrinth to imprison the hideous beast the Minotaur, who was half man, half bull.  Each year unsuspecting men and women were forced into the labyrinth, ultimately getting lost in the maze and becoming a victim of the brutal beast. 

Wow!  What a scary story for a child!  Still, it fascinated me.  There was something about the challenge of having to somehow find your way out of a maze of walls, which was filled with twists and turns, most of them leading to dead ends.  Getting lost is probably a fear most of us had as a child, and a maze seemed to be such an easy place in which to get lost.  Instead of scaring me away, however, it lured me in.

As a child, however, we didn't really have many mazes around.  We didn't live on an English estate, where garden mazes were popular.  Our only choice was the "Mirror Maze" attraction at the local Pontchartrain Beach amusement park.  My heart would always skip a beat when wandering the maze, and it was fun trying to find my way out, constantly bumping into mirror walls in the attempt. 

Back in the late 1990s, mazes once again became popular attractions, and they could be found in numerous cities and tourist areas.  These were usually constructed with wooden or vinyl walls, and there would often be check-points, bridges and towers incorporated.  Fortunately, no Minotaurs!  One year we vacationed in Dallas with some good friends, and one of the things we did was make our way through a local maze.  We had nine people in our group, and we had fun finding our way through.  As is the nature of a maze, we eventually separated into different groups, with eight of us making it out in decent time.  My good friend Joe Smith, however, was lost.  When exiting the maze, you were able to climb an observation platform and form that vantage point you could watch folks as they wandered -- sometimes aimlessly -- in the maze in their attempt to find the exit.  Naturally, all eight of us scampered to the top and had a good time watching Joe try to find the exit.  Of course, good-natured taunting and ribbing ensued.

Joe grew increasingly frustrated, and eventually we took pity on him.  So, we began shouting instructions to  him:  turn left, turn right, go straight, turn left.  Eventually, we directed him out of the labyrinth and back to safety and our company. 

Life is sort of like a maze, isn't it?  We often get lost in life, not knowing which way to turn.  We often think we can figure our own way out of the mess we are in, only to find out we continue to make wrong turns, continue to bump into walls, continue to reach a dead end.  We can grow frustrated, angry, despondent. 

Fortunately, we have a God that sees the big picture.  While all we can see is a few feet in front of us, God sees the entire picture.  He knows which way we should turn.  He knows how to avoid the wrong turns.  He knows how to avoid the dead ends.  He knows how to avoid the Minotaur.

In Isaiah 48: 17, God tells us, "I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is good for you and leads you along the paths you should follow."

Our problem is that we continue to think we can do it on our own, that we don't need help.  Unfortunately, this only leads us to continued wrong turns, continued frustration.  We continue to be lost, and sometimes get even more lost. 

But God is sitting on that observation deck, watching over us.  If we just listen to his voice, listen to instructions, we can make our way out of that maze and back to safety.  We need to listen.  We need to obey.

Jesus obeyed his Father throughout his life here on Earth.  Even when he met obstacles, even when he met opposition, even when he met his own proverbial Minotaur, he continued to seek and listen to God's advice and instructions.  He even obeyed when he was led to the cross, which granted salvation to all of those who believe and follow Him.

As we remember this sacrifice, let us ask for the heart, strength and courage to listen to and obey God's advice and instructions.