Corn Maze Faith

A couple of weeks ago, Thrive Youth Ministry spent an evening at a corn maze. Getting lost in a corn maze is one thing. Getting lost in a corn maze, in the dark, with 45 middle school and high school students is… well, exactly like you’d think it would be.

The maze was incredibly difficult because it wasn’t just about navigating through the muddy paths. In order to complete the maze, we needed to find different puzzle pieces scattered throughout the stalks, and then find our way out. My team of nine middle schoolers – and wannabe cartographers – spent most of our time lost between the drink station and where we found the goat puzzle piece.

At the end of the night, the farmer who turned his property into this labyrinth invited the students to the barn, where he took some time to talk to them about the different ways that we can get lost in life. After talking about being spiritually lost, he offered them a chance to follow Jesus and be found. The chaos of the maze disappeared as 14 students gave their lives to Jesus.
It’s amazing to me that Jesus chooses to use things that seem so insignificant, like a corn maze, to change people’s lives.

In 1 Corinthians 1:26-29 (ERV), Paul touches on this same thought when he says:

“Brothers and sisters, God chose you to be his. Think about that! Not many of you were wise in the way the world judges wisdom. Not many of you had great influence, and not many of you came from important families. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise. He chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. And God chose what the world thinks is not important—what the world hates and thinks is nothing. He chose these to destroy what the world thinks is important. God did this so that no one can stand before him and boast about anything. It is God who has made you part of Christ Jesus. And Christ has become for us wisdom from God. He is the reason we are right with God and pure enough to be in his presence. Christ is the one who set us free from sin. So, as the Scriptures say, ‘Whoever boasts should boast only about the Lord.'”

If we’re really honest, most of us are simply ordinary. The amount of power, fame, and influence we possess is limited. Our professions probably aren’t changing the world on a daily basis. We fall into the vast sea of boredom at least once a week. And we often ask ourselves what we can do for God.

But it’s precisely here that God works. It’s in every day, somewhat mundane, ordinary moments that God chooses to do extraordinary things. He uses what seems foolish and unimportant to change eternity. And He does it that way so that none of us can take credit.

If you really think about it, that’s incredible! We don’t have to be the best, smartest, most influential, or perfect people for God to use our lives. Instead, when we’re willing to let Him use our ordinary lives, people find Jesus and God gets the glory! I encourage you to pray, be open to the Holy Spirit’s leading, and watch in awe as God moves through the ordinary to do the extraordinary.