Finding Grace in the Middle of a Corn Maze

 Yesterday morning I awoke to my almost 17 year old dog, Lucy, scratching at the door to say she wanted to go out. After several attempts at ignoring her as well as a few unpleasant thoughts that passed through my head, I begrudgingly got out of bed murmering to myself resentful words. It was 5:45 am after all and Saturday, so why should I be pleasant. I stomped downstairs only to find that it was cold outside and rainy. I do not like being wet and cold, who does? The morning ensued with me attempting to change my attitude towards my untimely awakening by baking muffins for those who still slept soundly in their beds and by getting a jump start on the morning laundry and house work. As I attempted to bake the muffins, I dropped two eggs on the floor (which I have never done before) and then gritted my teeth as I angerly cleaned up both messes. I was certain I would not prevail in my attempt to change my attitude from bitter and resentful to chipper and accommodating. In my odds, I was also scheduled to go to the corn maze and pumpkin patch with the choir group in the cold rainy weather which I was certain would also produce lots of mud. I crossed my fingers, to no avail, that the pumpkin patch excursion would be canceled with the rain. I arrived at the church with a semi-smile on my face and greeted the parents waiting with a very curt, "I do NOT like rain and the pumpkin patch," when they laughingly told me it was the best kind of weather to go to a corn maze. After boarding the bus with six eager little friends, my attitude towards the trip began to slowly turn as I chatted with our music director about the early '90's and times when we both remembered the Tennessee Vols being on top of the SEC instead of on the bottom. As the van crossed over the Tennessee River making it's way towards Maple Lane Farms, I felt myself allowing a gradual attitude change. We arrived at the corn maze, purchased tickets and made two groups, one of boys and one of girls. With the girls leading the way, I entered the corn maze eager to get through it and to move on to the next activity. As we wound our way amongst the tall spent corn stalks, I felt myself actively thinking about my group's next strategy in our attempt to find our way through and out of the maze. With each step closer to the goal coupled with the laughter of the four little girls in my company, my attitude grew brighter until I realized, "This is fun and I am actually having a great time!" Yes, it was cold. Yes, it was rainy. Yes it was muddy. But I was actually having a great time!

 It was then that I realized the grace I had been granted in an attitude adjustment from God. I often say it is of no consequence that Jesus said, "Let the children come to me and do not hinder them, for the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to such as these." At the beginning of the morning my world was glum because of my own uncomfortableness of the way life was presenting itself to me at the given time. My attitude was dictated by my inability to see past the inconvenience of the dog and the hassle of the broken eggs and the uncomfortableness of the cold and rain and mud. It was not until I became a "child" once again and allowed myself to become an active participant of the corn maze that I was granted grace from God that allowed me to see his Kingdom through the eyes of the very children I was privileged enough to spend the morning with. My facebook status for the morning became,"I am always humbled when God grants me and attitude adjustment. I was grumbling about the cold rainy weather and going to the corn maze this morning. Sure enough I have had the best time with these choir kiddos from Ascension. The smiles and laughter of children sure does put everything into perspective. I am blessed and privileged to be with these friends this morning!" I went on the trip to the corn maze as a chaperon to the children who were with me. Little did I know that I was the one who needed the chaperon on my trip to see God's Kingdom in the middle of a corn maze.