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The Maze of Life
by Elderine Wyrick
You are not sure how you got here, but you are
here. The path is narrow. The dimly lit corridor stretches before you
offering hope of freedom and dread of things to come. Spots of light
create hope, yet the shadows of exaggeration and distortion bring
confusion. As your hands grope along the wall, you know there is an
opening. There is a way through. You take your next step. The floor
slightly collapses causing you to grab the wall for support. The lights
go out. You stand still and wait for the light. Frustration, fear,
panic, and hopelessness try to control you. You begin to doubt your
reality. What is true anyway? Then the lights gradually come back up
bringing things into focus. Hope builds and you begin to move forward
again. Good, you see a turn in the path. You are making progress. The
lights begin to dim again. You prepare to make the
 turn but there is a
wall. There is no opening! There is only wall—no door. You can’t find
the door! “God help me!” you scream.
“Be still.” You hear a voice. “Be still, and I will
lead you!” You continue to spread your hands over the wall in silence
trying to make sense of it all.
“Help me,” You finally whisper. “I can’t find the
door.” The light increases. Your eyes began to focus again.
“Look up,” You hear the whisper. “Look up for your
answer.”
There it is! You push the button and the wall
miraculously opens. A lighted path is in front of you. You are finally
on your way again. Your steps become more confident. You are no longer
alone. You now have “the voice” to lead you—and you have light. Every
part of you is aware that you are not alone. You can now see a short
distance in front of you. Things are clearer. You begin to gain speed.
Each step is not quite so cautious. The light gives you confidence and
direction. You are finally moving forward. Then the light begins to dim
again. Darkness envelopes the tunnel and the shadows return. “Where did
you go?” You cry out into the darkness. “Don’t leave me in the dark!”
“Don’t panic. I will lead you with my voice through
the dark times.” His reassuring tone calms you. “There will be light
again, but learn to trust me through the darkness. Make a slight turn to
right. Remember you are not alone.”
“Others have conquered the maze. It is your turn.”
You tell yourself, “Don’t be a quitter. You can do this! Keep going!
Trust the voice. He’s your guide.” You move slowly to the right and find
a door. It opens! Ah, light again. However, this light is creating
shadows. The shadows are overwhelming. Everything seems to be moving at
once. Watching the shadows, you look out into the darkness. Fear begins
to take control. Nothing is focused. Nothing is clearly understood.
“Help me,” You whisper. “Show me the way through.”
“Keep your eyes on the light,” the voice
instructed. “Keep going forward. Concentrate on the light, not the
shadows.”
You turn toward the light again and refocus. As
your eyes adjust, you see a wall full of doors. “But there are so many
doors!” you exclaim. “Which door is the right one?”
“Push on every door.” He instructed. “The right one
will open. I will never leave you, so do not be afraid. Keep going. You
can do this.”
There are so many locked doors. You almost give up,
but wait, this one seems to be opening. You cautiously push the door
forward and then you see a wonderfully lit corridor filled with gentle
music and colorful lights. Finally, you are enjoying the maze. This room
is comfortable. The walls are not so narrow; there is a lounge chair and
even a book to read. Things are finally working out for you. You stretch
your legs out as you sink into the recliner. You lean back with the book
provided and take a quiet respite.
After a short time of rest, you hear the voice,
“It’s time to move on. There’s still more maze ahead.”
You become frustrated. It is comfortable here. You
do not really need another challenge. “Why can’t I just stay here? I’m
finally comfortable. My needs are met. Why should I continue to go
forward?” you ask.
“There’s a prize at the end of the maze.” He
reminded. “Winners finish the maze. Are you coming?”
You don’t want to be accused of quitting.
Reluctantly, you pull yourself out of the easy chair and walk down the
next corridor. As you suspected, things begin to grow dimmer and dimmer.
You try to look back but your comfort room is no longer there. There is
no going back. You realize that the only way out is forward.
Oh no! Another dead end. Suddenly the light
disappears. You have been here before—no need to panic. You decide to
ask for help. “Which way now?” you ask confidently. No answer. “Hey,
where did you go? You promised to lead me!” Still no answer. The
darkness seems even darker now. “Do I stand still and wait for an answer
or should I try to go forward without the voice?” you ask yourself. You
decide to try to find it yourself. “There’s probably another button like
before,” you reason. Your hands grope the wall above your head. You find
nothing. You try the other wall—nothing. You turn to the third wall and
there it is. It’s a little lower than the other button, but you push
it. The floor begins to crumble. It’s like quick sand. Oh, no! You are
sinking fast. You struggle to get your feet lose from the enveloping
pit, but you just sink faster. “Help me,” you cry. “Save me!”
Suddenly you feel solid ground under your feet
again. No more sinking. “Why didn’t you wait for me?” the voice asked.
“Didn’t I tell you I would guide you? I promised I would never leave
you. Learn to trust me. Learn to be still and know that I am working
everything out for your good. Wait
patiently on me, and I will bring you through the maze successfully. I
know the right path for you. I understand the maze.”
With resolution and determination, you begin the
trip again. You grow more aware of the presence of the voice even when
you’re not hearing it. You now know you are not alone even when things
are silent. Trust grows and you relax. Your fears turn to dependency.
Life becomes simpler—not in your circumstances but in your perception.
You begin to trust the voice enough not to worry about the next
corridor. Hasn’t He been faithful? Hasn’t He promised to be faithful?
Why should you doubt? He will lead you to the end of the maze. After
that is your great reward! You continue on your journey following the
voice—wiser and more trusting. You understand now, the only direction
is forward. Nothing exists behind you. You must keep walking forward
until you win the prize. Only the voice knows where the path leads and
how many trials lay ahead, but He has promised to lead you through it
all.
NOTES ON “THE MAZE OF LIFE”
1. Life is always going forward. You cannot go backward. There’s
nothing there. It is gone forever.
2. There is no “reverse” in life, but sometimes we go in circles.
3. Must adjust our direction as we move forward to change destiny.
4. Repentance is making a U-turn—a forward motion.
5. Our spiritual walk is always a forward motion.
6. Don’t look back! Look up!
7. Gain strength from God and follow Him to new depths or heights.
8. Let Him pull you out of miry pits, clean you up, and set your path
straight.
9. God can lead you out of
· Depression
· Pain
· Disappointment
· Grief
· Sin
· Hopelessness
· Addiction
· Anger
· Unforgiveness
10. Repentance is a daily thing. Permit God to change your direction.
11. God will be your light in the midst of darkness.
12. His voice will be your guide when the light becomes dim.
13. His presence will be your comfort when there is no light or voice.
14. Concentrate on the light rather than the darkness.
15. Put your eyes on Him.
He calls us, “Come, follow Me!” Philippians 3: 12-14 12Not that I
have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I
press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.
13Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But
one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is
ahead, 14I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has
called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. © 2004,
Elderine Wyrick |
