Mazes

March 25, 2022

This may not come as much of a surprise considering the excessive amount of snow we had this year, but Manitoba is home to the World Record Snow maze. The pictures of the maze are quite amazing, if you will allow the pun – acres and acres of snow walls! I didn’t get a chance to visit the maze but I imagine it was a fun, memorable experience for families, as has been the case for the corn mazes that are a feature of the fall. Still, as exciting and enjoyable as they are, navigating the twists and turns, the false starts and returns as well as the dead ends of these mazes takes patience.

In many ways the last two years have felt a bit like running a maze, albeit without the fun aspect. It felt as though we were constantly on the move, coming to decision points, taking a path then retracing our steps. One couldn’t help but feel a bit lost as we attempted to make sense of the upheaval associated with the pandemic. In fact, some of the paths seemed to switch direction, much like the magical maze in the Harry Potter movies. For certain, patience and perseverance have been necessary elements for all of us. Although it is hard to be certain, we seem to be close to the exit of this particular maze. If not, at least this easing will allow us all a much-needed reprieve and some respite to recharge ourselves.

This year, we chose mazes as our Lenten theme. When we think about following God’s path we may envision a lovely forest walk, maybe a little winding, but generally linear moving from start to finish. More often, though, our faith journey is like a maze, with many twists and turning points. As is the case with all mazes, we may become frustrated with our progress.  Lent is the perfect time to reflect on our convoluted journey and ask for God’s guidance. It will not always be easy, we may even have to restart a few times. This is to be expected, our lives rarely go in straight lines. As we make the choices that come our way, with prayer added to the aforementioned patience and perseverance, we will make our way through. It will be a memorable experience, and there will be fun along the way!