There’s a really good Labyrinth here. I’m not sure of the history, but Labyrinths have been used for times of prayer. Walking the Labyrinth causes you to slow down. At the start of the Labyrinth, they had some good suggestions:

I was able to walk a Labyrinth in Scotland on St. Columba’s Bay on the Isle of Iona. On that Labyrinth, you started at the beginning (no surprise there) and walked around, moving closer to the center with each step.

This Labyrinth was different. There were more twists and turns. At one point, you are nearing the center, then you would turn and move more to the outer edge. I found myself wanting to make progress toward the center, but the Labyrinth wouldn’t let me.

Maybe you can tell from the pictures that there is not a direct path to the center and even when you think you are getting close, you may make a turn and head back to the outer edges.

As I walked and prayed, I realized how this Labyrinth is really like life. I want to make progress. I want to get to the center. I want to deepen my relationship with God. But, there are twists and turns. Sometimes I was heading in the same direction for a while, then a turn, then a short path, another turn.

I believe it took me about 10 minutes to get to the center. Ten minutes can seem like a really long time when you are wondering, “When will I get there? Am I almost done?”

One of my takeaways was: What is most important is to continue on the journey. Keep moving. Keep going. Stay on the path the best that you can.

I’ll be honest. There were a few times I wanted to take a shortcut, stop following the path, and just hop over to the center. But I didn’t. I also didn’t want to take the path back out, which would be another 10 minutes. But I did.

As you travel the Labyrinth of Life, stay on the path that God is laying down for you. Combat any discouragement by reminding yourself, this is the path, I will walk in it. There will be twists. There will be turns. There will be times when you feel like you are moving further away from where you want to be. Fight the temptation to give up and stop.

I love this verse from Isaiah 30:21, and I think it’s appropriate for reflection:

²¹ And when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left, your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”

Isaiah 30:21

May you hear the voice of God, leading, guiding, and encouraging you on your journey.