I have always loved walking labyrinths, each one offering a unique experience. This past summer, I had the opportunity to return to Holden Village, a place dear to my heart that I hadn’t visited in many years. I was eager to revisit the labyrinth I had walked so many times before, but when I arrived at the familiar field, it was nowhere to be found. I searched around, recalling that the labyrinth had been relocated due to some recent work at the Village. With no idea where it might be, I decided to leave the search for another day.
Ironically, it wasn’t me who found the labyrinth, but friends of mine who were visiting Holden for the very first time. They walked it and told me about it later, which made me laugh. How could they, newcomers to the Village, find something that I, practically raised there, had missed?
The first time I went searching for the labyrinth, I was so sure I knew where it was that I walked right past it. My focus was on the destination, on what I expected to find, rather than on what was actually there. The labyrinth had moved, but my mind hadn’t.
This experience reminded me of life and ministry. We often become so focused on a goal—a program, a project, or an idea—that we might overlook what is right in front of us. We are so often trying to be God’s hands and feet to and with others that we often forget to pause and take time for ourselves to be in the presence of the Beloved.
Eventually, I did walk the labyrinth. It was hidden, a bit overgrown, and at first, I wasn’t sure if I was on the right path. Unlike the round, circular labyrinths I was used to, this one meandered in unexpected ways, winding back and forth, up and down. It wasn’t what I anticipated, and that threw me off at first. But as I continued, something shifted within me. In the uncertainty of not knowing where the path would turn next, I found a profound release. I began to trust the path, trusting that those who had carefully moved the labyrinth to this new space had created it with the intention of providing a sacred journey for others.
The picture attached shows part of that path, overgrown and not immediately visible. Yet, I was able to journey through the entire labyrinth. It wasn’t the typical circle, but it created a sacred space nonetheless.
So I ask you, what might you be walking past in your pursuit of a destination? Is it possible that you’re missing what God has set out for you? How might you slow down and take a closer look at what surrounds you? Who might be inviting you to try a new way?
Ministry can be challenging, especially in the fall when energy and programs are in full swing. What might you need to do to slow down, to take in the path ahead, and to trust that God is leading you in each faithful step?
Look to some of the programs we have coming up and see if any of those might support you in life and ministry. They are all created with YOU in mind.
