Lessons from the Labyrinth

<p>Daffodils lifted their creamy yellow faces toward the sun, the birds sang in the branches of the flowering magnolia tree, a breeze sent ripples cascading across the otherwise still pond. My friend and I were experiencing year three at our annual retreat, and this place reminded us to direct our focus back on God and be still before Him (Psalm 23:2).</p><p>.</p><p>On our second day at the retreat, my friend announced she was going to walk the labyrinth by herself. (This labyrinth was different from a maze, because there were no choices or dead ends, just one path—edged with daffodils—that meandered back and forth until it reached the center of the circular labyrinth.) There was something God had been prompting her to let go of, and she needed some concentrated time of releasing it to Him. “I’ll be praying for you,” I encouraged her as she headed out the door. I imagined her winding her way through the mown paths of the daffodil-filled labyrinth, tears glistening in her eyes as she gave the burden to Jesus.</p><p>.</p><p>When we met back up over an hour later, my friend’s load seemed visibly lighter. She shared with me the lessons God taught her while walking through the labyrinth: “At first I was so fixated on the path, all the twists and turns, that I almost forgot to take inventory of all the beauty around me.” She then chose to slow, examining the daffodils, touching the petals, enjoying the journey. “It’s like life,” she mused. “Sometimes, we are just rushing around the corners, and we forget to slow and enjoy the beauty God has placed all around us.”</p><p>.</p><p>In the center of the labyrinth was a large rock. When she reached the end, my friend rested on the rock, giving God the thing that had been weighing her down. “I wonder if they put the rock there at the end on purpose—so it’s like you’re resting on Jesus, our Rock.” I shared how that morning I had been meditating on Psalm 62, in which David mentioned three times that God was his Rock.</p><p>.</p><p>Whether or not we have a chance to get away on a