"To shine upon and give light to those who sit in darkness and in
the shadow of death, to direct and guide our feet in a straight line
into the way of peace." Luke 1: 79
Last
night I walked a labyrinth at the local "No More Nylons" event. At
first, I felt a little silly. After all, it wasn't a "real" labyrinth,
just a twisting pathway laid out on a mat. I removed my shoes and read
the instructions. Before starting, clear your mind and pray. Slow
your breathing and open your heart to God's guidance. Think about what
you would like to learn on the journey. Pause at the entrance to the
labyrinth, take a cleansing breath and focus on God. Start the walk.
Put one foot ahead of another and keep walking at a comfortable pace.
Focus on letting go of the things that stand between you and God. Don't
focus on the goal, but concentrate on the journey. When you reach the
center, take some time to be with God and sense the presence of his
Holy Spirit. As you return on the same path, focus on what you are
bringing out of the center and back into your life. Take your time and
when you exit, reflect on your journey.
The labyrinth didn't have
the hedges or walls one might expect, and there were no dead ends or
surprise turns. But I couldn't visualize the whole path to the center
because I don't think spatially very well. I had to trust the process
and just keep taking one step at a time. I could always see the next
step and at least a few beyond that. I trusted that I would reach the
center and the exit if I just stayed on the path that the creator of the
labyrinth had planned. After having experienced this on a small
scale, I plan to find a "real" labyrinth to walk and take more time and
thought with the journey.
I believe that the journey through the
labyrinth mirrors our spiritual journey. While sometimes our path
seems confusing and we can't see how we will achieve God's will, our
Creator knows the path that He has laid out just for our feet. He will
even walk with us and hold our hand. God will not deceive us or betray
us. We can trust in Him and His plan. All we need to do is put one
foot in front of the other and the next steps will always be revealed to
us. Just as I was distracted by people watching as I walked, we will
experience distractions on our spiritual journey. That's OK, if we just
keep putting one foot in front of the other, God's plan will become
clearer with each step and we will continue to learn and grow into the
people He created us to be.