Have you ever been to a corn maze? Recently, my family and I went to a big corn maze, called Tom's Maze, in Germantown, Ohio. The maze was divided into 12 numbered sections, and a different colored ribbon marked each section. There was a path around the outside, marked by another color, that led you all the way out from any section you were in. Hidden inside each section of the maze, was a mailbox. Inside the mailbox was a piece of the big map. Once you had all the pieces, you had a completed map. As we walked through the maze, I could not help but think how our lives were much like the corn maze …

At start of the maze, we had nothing. We did not now which direction to go, or where the paths might lead us. The children were close by our sides. We chose a direction, and began to follow the path as it wound around the field. Every little bit along the way, there was a turn. We had to make a choice as to which way we were going to go. At times, it was difficult to stay within the colored sections. Sometimes, we wanted to go back through the previous parts, and sometimes, we wanted to skip ahead to the next piece of the maze. We were always looking for the mailboxes, which were hidden in amongst the rows. Once we found it, and affixed our map piece to the whole, part of the maze became a bit clearer. It helped us work our way to the next section. In the center of the maze, we found an observation bridge. From its highest point, we could see the entire maze – where we started, where we had been, and where we were going. As we went along, the children took the lead. Each section was different from the last, yet, somehow familiar. All in all, we were able to complete our task. After about an hour and a half, we emerged from the maze, having discovered all of its secrets – tired, but exhilarated, and none the worse for wear.

Isn’t this, so very much like life? We start out new. We have no experience, and we follow along with our parents. As time goes on, we begin to make our own choices, yet still not knowing how our lives are going to turn out. We go through, following a path, find some answers, and begin to put the pieces together. Each new thing we learn is like a piece of the larger map, each new turn, a decision to be made. We begin to take the lead.

Much like the bridge, there comes a time when you can see things ever so much more clearly than before. You can look back, and reflect on what you have done in your life. You have some experience, to help you to see where you might go next, and how it all might conclude.

There are the times when we wish we were younger again, to go back, and find a different way through. Still, there are the times when we want nothing more than to skip ahead, to not make those turns, even if the puzzle remains unsolved.

Some of us chose an easier path. We simply walk around all obstacles, making no choices, and ending up, inevitably, at the end of the journey, having gained nothing at all.

Some of us find our way easily. Somehow, an internal compass shows the way to go. The correct turn seems simple, and the maze is solved with good speed, and with pieces intact.

But, for most of us, we will wind our way in and out of the paths of our lives, making mistaken turns along the way. We will walk the same paths more than once, and get lost within the maze. We will make the poor choices along with the good, and we will keep going. As we travel through the sections, and gain pieces to the puzzle, we will learn. We will try and find the answers, and make choices based on the information we have. It may take us longer, and we may be a bit more worn, but we will make it.

In the end, we will reach the end just as everyone else did. We will be victorious, yes. But maybe, we will be a bit fuller, and maybe, a bit wiser for the journey.