Lessons for the Labyrinth of Life

Mazes have always been one of my favorite pastimes. I don’t know why, but as a child I remember doing whole books of them, and drawing countless more in various shapes and sizes, challenging friends and family members to successfully find their way through my creative masterpieces.

Not surprisingly, then, is the fact that I loved to play with our family’s labyrinth. You know labyrinths, those wooden boxes with the tilting tops and silver balls. How I enjoyed trying to make my way around the dividing walls without falling in the holes.

It struck me how similar living is to playing that labyrinth. There are several kinds of players. The first is the one who doesn’t play at all. He finds it so frustrating that he chooses not to enjoy the challenge.

Another is the one who is overconfident, falsely believing that his skill and intelligence can conquer this little ball in a box. He relies on his own will to make the ball go where he wishes, and when it doesn’t, he becomes more and more frustrated, resulting in more and more failure until he finally gives up altogether.

Another player is the competitive one. He’s all about speed, and mistakenly believes that faster the ball rolls, the more effective he will be. This player is determined that speed will triumph over holes, and continues to speed up his race, even though the ball keeps dropping in the traps repeatedly.

The overconfident and the competitive players win on occasion. But the player who wins consistently is the smart one. This player is strategic, persistent, focused and self-controlled. He focuses on the end goal, identifies the path before starting, and proceeds slowly, but confidently.

While maneuvering through the pathway, this player doesn’t view the barriers as obstacles, but constructs to be used to his advantage to help move him toward his aim. The smart player moves steadily toward the goal, but knows when to pause on the journey for a thoughtful look at what is ahead.

The smart player does not plunge into holes of distraction, which take him completely off his path, nor is he anxious by their presence, as he knows this will only cause him to fall right into their traps. Instead, he remains aware of the pitfalls nearby, and works strategically to avoid them. He doesn’t get agitated or give up, but remains committed to the target, turning the tables calmly, slowly, and with precision.

We are called to run our individual races with endurance, and run so that we may win! We can be victorious if we will move through life with confidence, calmness and courage like a master labyrinth player. And as Christians we should be the most victorious, for our ability to play life well comes not from ourselves, but from God’s powerful living presence in us.