Lost & Found Again in the Labyrinth

Today, I experienced my first prayer labyrinth. If you don’t know what that is, go ahead and give it a quick Google search. Okay, I know it sounds weird. Before beginning, I was skeptical as well. There is something so other about the experience that I cannot express the beauty and power of it in words; it’s something you should experience for yourself. Besides, I think it’s better to go in with no expectations. Leaving yourself open and vulnerable to God, especially in a prayer labyrinth, is an experience like no other.

I do not want to try to describe exactly what I experienced in the labyrinth, but I did want to share some realizations I had in the midst of the grass, the stones, and the presence of God, because I think it is a good reminder for many others, like it was for me. Without further ado, here is what I learned in the labyrinth.

I AM NOT:

· Disregarded

· A burden

· Rejected

· Unlovable

· A failure

· Forgotten

· My shortcomings

· Hated

· Cast aside

I AM:

· Beloved

· Fought for

· Defended

· Treasured

· Adored

· Disciplined out of love

· Remembered

· Protected

· Bought

· Anointed with a purpose

· Created in God’s image

Often, reading adjectives like that does not help us apply them to ourselves. God knows, I read “beloved” in the Bible many times and never thought of myself in that state. But when I stood in the center of that labyrinth, with my palms raised towards the heavens and the sun shining on my face, I felt it. I don’t know how else to describe it. Intimate, beautiful, empowering…yes, it was all of those things, but the words do no justice. As someone who strongly believes in the power of words and writing, it is hard for me to say that, but the words simply do not measure up to that feeling.