Labyrinth

On Monday I met up with a dear friend at an old church downtown, and together we walked a labyrinth.

In the past I've walked labyrinths with something specific in mind to pray through as I walked.  Monday wasn't like that.  After spending a week flat on my back sick last week, I didn't have anything specific in mind to pray through on this trip.  I simply started walking and let my heart be open to God's leading.

I was struck by the need to focus only on the steps just in front of me if I was going to stay on the path.

I was caught by the experience of walking the path with a friend.  Sometimes ahead and sometimes behind, sometimes parallel and sometimes walking in different directions, but together, sharing the journey.

And as I walked, I pondered what was the word for the walk, and thought about my one word for the year, "heal".  The word for the walk was "peace".  The last couple weeks have been filled with some really hard decisions and not a lot of peace.  So I walked and focused on the steps just in front of me, and breathed deeply, and let peace come.

I thought about how "heal" hasn't looked anything like I thought it would on December 31st as I prayerfully chose it as my one word for the year.  It's looked totally different than I thought it would, and, if I'm honest, that has been discouraging at times.  It's involved humility, surrender, and a whole lot of wrestle.  And I thought about the need to simply focus on the step just in front of me, to just see that step, that moment of healing, instead of becoming overwhelmed by the immensity of the myriad of steps beyond that.  I thought about the friends who are walking this journey with me, encouraging and praying for me.

And I thought about a dozen other little things, as God's voice took over and I walked and prayed.

It was such a lovely thing to share that sacred quiet space with a friend.  The silence was so needed, and the peace it carried with it was precisely what my soul needed after the last few weeks.