LightGrams
March 7, 2019
Volume 23, Number 10
When autumn arrives and the frost is on the pumpkin, you can expect to start hearing about corn mazes opening to the public. It’s ironic, don’t you think, that the plant also known as “maize” has led to this cool-weather activity? (A maize maze?)
What happens, though, when the corn stalks have all been harvested for silage? Clint Masse, who farms in Manitoba, Canada, where temperatures stay below freezing for weeks at a time, decided to build a snow maze this year. Since 1998 he has offered a corn maze to the community; this year he set his sights on something more ambitious.
The work began in mid-December. A snow machine operated for three weeks to produce about 300 truckloads of snow; another three weeks were spent building the walls of the maze. After meticulous measurements and surveying, the maze was found to be more than 30,000 square feet in size, enough for the folks at Guinness World Records to declare that it was the largest maze on record. The previous record-holder was a mere 18,255 square feet.
I’ll confess that I’ve never walked through a maze, either of the corn or snow variety. Getting lost in a maze may not be high-risk, but I choose to spend my money on other pursuits.
Is it true that Clint Masse has produced the world’s largest maze? Despite the careful evaluation by the folks at Guinness, I disagree. Life is clearly the largest maze.
Jeremiah summed up my reasoning: “O Lord, I know the way of man is not in himself; it is not in man who walks to direct his own steps” (Jeremiah 10:23). What happens when a person doesn’t know the way? They become lost, of course, and that’s exactly why Jesus came to earth: “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10). Billions are wandering through the maze called life.
Navigating the maze of life is hard enough, but factor in another challenge making it even tougher: there is one who seeks to blind us! “But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them” (2 Corinthians 4:3,4). Satan wants to destroy us (John 10:10)!
There is good news in the Bible for all who are walking through the maze of life: “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” (Proverbs 3:5,6).
Inside the maze I can’t see the way out. But the Lord promises to guide me if I let Him.
Come to the light God offers! Study His word, the Bible. Worship Him in spirit and truth (John 4:24). Get in touch with us if you’d like to discuss these ideas further.
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Copyright, 2019, Timothy D. Hall. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise noted, are from the New King James Version (Copyright, 1990, Thomas Nelson, Inc.).
“LightGrams” is produced by the Central Church of Christ, 2722 Oakland Avenue, Johnson City, Tennessee, 37601, and is written by Tim Hall, minister. It is sent free of charge every Thursday to all who request it. To subscribe or to receive more information, write to “Tim@GraceMine.org” (our E-mail address), to the U.S. mail address above, or call (423) 282-1571.
Permission to reproduce and/or use the messages for noncommercial purposes is freely granted provided the messages are not altered.