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Allow your faith to guide the way through trying times
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Published: December 5, 2008
Have you ever gone through a labyrinth or a fun house of mirrors? Have you found yourself in one of these mazes thinking you know the direction you're going, only to find yourself running into wall after wall instead?
Often life can feel just like wandering through an endless string of twists and turns, where we bump into a dead end at every turn we take. Sometimes it can get so overwhelming, we start to panic; feeling as if we're trapped, without any sense of direction.
We begin to wonder if we'll be able to find our way out, toward the light that is escaping us. Some of us want desperately for someone to come to our aid and lead us out; while others continue to fight on their own, sure that they will eventually find their way.
So what does one do when they feel lost? In the song "Amazing Grace," writer John Newton speaks of a similar struggle in the lyrics, "I once was lost, but now am found, was blind, but now I see."
He later goes on to explain in the hymn that it is God who has found him. "His word my hope secures; He will my shield and portion be … ."
Newton has not magically found all the solutions to his problems or miraculously found his way out of the maze he was lost in. Instead, he found God within the maze. He realized it was God's grace that had already brought him through the trials and tribulations he has experienced, and would continue to do so for the rest of his life.
We need to recognize that we don't have to search frantically for our way out of our problems, but instead accept them and know that God is leading us through, every step of the way.
Trying to control everything ourselves and figure out all the solutions on our own is a fruitless effort. We must be humble enough to surrender the lead and follow God. Proverbs 3:5-6 says, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths."
In fact, when we stop and look at the beauty of the hedges around us in the labyrinth, the skill and artistry of the turns, the strength and courage we have to find in ourselves to round them and the anticipation of the joy that is awaiting us, that is when we are truly "found."
We have to realize that every supposed problem is a blessing from God. In 1 Corinthians 10:13, the Bible says "God will never allow temptations into our lives that are too much for us to handle." This may be difficult to remember when we are in the thick of those temptations and want to throw our hands in the air and give up, but it is crucial to remember this — God will never give us more than we can handle.
And it is up to God, not us, to determine when we have truly learned the lessons we need to learn before we can find our way back onto the path.
We need to just stop running and searching, listen for the sound of God and take his hand. He will lead the way.
jennifer baxter is a correspondent for the R&L. Send her e-mail at news@statesville.com.
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