Lost in the Maze

Week 7
Each weekend in October is what we call Maizefest, here at The Ranch. It is a 6 acre corn maze accompanied by some pretty sweet fall festival family fun activities. This Saturday, over 1,300 people came through our gates... they came to get lost. in the maze.
My primary job has been hosting. This means that I walk them to the entrance of the maze, put a time stamp on their map, send them in with a "good luck", and walk back to the front to meet the next group.
Group after group entered the maze and to each one I playfully prompted, "You ready to get lost?" Surprisingly, most of them said no... they weren't planning on getting lost. Some of them were kidding, but many of them sincerely thought they were not going to get lost. Well guys, it's a MAZE. You are supposed to get lost. It's designed to do just that- get. you. lost. But hey, maybe they would be the exception...
We have a tower set up that overlooks the entire maze from the inside. Many people call out asking for clues, tips, or ideas on how to reach their final destination. There are many groups, however, who get frustrated and even a bit mad that they are lost. I had some people tell me that the maze was wrong, that the map was wrong, and even that I was wrong. I had other people tell me a whole story about how they got lost because of this or that... like they were the only ones who experienced that. Like they weren't supposed to get lost or something. Like they were supposed to be the exception.
Truth is, there is no exception. You are no exception. Not in the maze and not in real life. Often we are too prideful to see the truth in that. 1 Corinthians 10:13 says, "No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it." We all have struggles... even those who didn't expect to struggle. But God provides the escape! Your struggles are not unique. This is good, so that when you are troubled, someone can help you.
When you do get lost, somebody can help you find your way if you let them.
Life is like a maze. You are intended to get lost- it's how we learn.
It will happen. But you are not alone.

As a host, two songs play on repeat all day. One of them goes like this: "We lose our way, we get back up again. It's never too late to get back up again."