The Corn Maze...

Last Sunday our family went to a birthday party at the Hayes Farm, a local farm that has pumpkin patches, hay rides, games, inflatables, and a corn maze each year. It was a lot of fun for all of us and we really enjoyed it.

While we were there, the time came for us to go through the corn maze. There was only one entrance and one exit and they were fairly close to each other. Isaiah, our 6 year old son, was there playing with several of his friends, one of which is a little girl who lives on the farm and knew the maze quite well. As we were going into the maze, Isaiah asked if he could go with all his friends. It was a safe place and if he would have been in trouble I could have easily gotten to him, so I told him it was fine. I asked him to wait at the exit for us since they would probably get through before us. Excited, they all darted into the maze while my wife and I casually strolled.

After about 30 minutes, my wife and I made it to the end. We looked around for the kids thinking they would have been done before us, but they weren't at the exit. A few other people from our group came out right behind us. They said they had just saw all the kids and they were still trying to find a way out, but wouldn't come with the adults talking to us. My wife and I kind of laughed and just waited on them to come out. When they did, we were a bit surprised.

Shortly after talking to the other adults, Isaiah and his friends found their way out. Isaiah took one step outside the maze, saw us, and ran as hard as he could to us. He gripped my wife hugging her as tightly as he could and burred his face in her stomach. I could hear him fighting back crying. One of the other kids said, "He got kinda scared when we couldn't get out of the maze and wanted to find his parents." We both hugged him and reassured him it was ok. Soon he calmed down and we went back to playing at the farm, but he didn't get too far from us the rest of the day.

Now, let me ask you a question: Do we look like this when we are separated from God? Not that we could ever truly get away from God being omnipresence, but we can choose to be "separated" from Him. When we choose sin over Jesus or ourselves and our desires over His. There are even times that God "pulls away" from us for a time. But do we miss Him? Are we so dependent on Jesus that if He isn't where we can get to Him that we get scared? Would we run to Jesus, cling to Him, and bury our face in His chest when we found Him?

David expresses such a relationship with God in Psalm 27:1, 9:

The LORD is my light and my salvation— whom should I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life— of whom should I be afraid? ... Do not hide Your face from me; do not turn Your servant away in anger. You have been my help; do not leave me or abandon me, God of my salvation.

 In Christ,
jon walton
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I Deserved That...

I was driving on the interstate through a city about a week ago. I had been out of town for a while and was looking forward to getting back to friends and family.

In my hurry to get back, I may have been driving slightly over the speed limit. As I was cruising in the fast lane, I see something out of the corner of my eye. I look to my right to see a Tennessee State Trooper waving at me. My heart sank and I felt sick to my stomach. I knew what was coming next. I was completely in the wrong and "I really wanted to get home" was not a good enough reason to be speeding. I prepared to get what I deserved.

The Trooper then smiled and waved his hand up and down with a flat palm signaling me to "slow down." I waved back to say "thanks" and quickly decreased my rate of acceleration.

When we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior, this is what we get, mercy. We deserve to pay for r crimes, our sins, but Jesus gives us second chances. If Jesus forgives and gives mercy to us and we are trying to be like Him, shouldn't we give forgive and show mercy to each other?

Thanks for the mercy extended to me God and Tennessee State Trooper!

In Christ,
jon walton