The next three devotionals are written by a guest.  This is the first installment.

Lessons from the Labyrinth #1

Written by: JIMMY CALVERT

I had the chance to walk my first spiritual labyrinth yesterday at St. Paul’s UMC in Houston. If
you aren’t familiar with this practice, let me explain. A labyrinth is a space like the photo 
above. It is designed for meditation, spiritual formation, worship, contemplation, or relaxation
purposes. They can be indoors or outdoors. They can be walked alone or with a group of 
people. They can be made out of stone, granite, grass, or any number of things. There is no right or wrong way to walk a labyrinth and every time you walk, you might have a completely different experience. The path leads to the center which is shaped like a tree or flower where you can spend a moment, and then you follow the path back out.

My walk was outdoors, in a busy part of the city, with a group of people. St. Paul’s labyrinth is built out of stone in a courtyard surrounded on one side by the church and busy streets on the other. Since this was my first time, I really didn’t know what to expect. I knew I wanted to walk barefoot so that I could feel the stones and try to connect to the ground in a different way. I took a moment to pray before entering and then started. Here are a few things I perceived and how someone might connect them to spiritual disciplines or practices in their own faith journey.

1. Like the photo above, I was walking on light-colored stones with gray stones in between. Several times my mind would start to question whether I was supposed to be on the light or dark stones. After collecting my thoughts, I was quickly able to determine that I was on the right path and I kept moving forward. At times I think we all question, “What am I doing? Am I even on the right path?” But if we pause to collect our thoughts, remember our original mission, and think about what God has called us to, we can continue in confidence on the path He has laid out before us.
2. Because of the way the path moves and winds, sometimes I was very close to the center and I would think, “Oh I’m almost there!” But then just as quickly, I would be moving away from the center. I quickly realized that I had no idea how long it would take to reach the center and that I could not use what I perceived as my location on the path to determine where I was in the overall journey. Our faith journey may have similar goals, a center to reach. But truly, you never quite know how far you have to go. At times you may seem close, at other times very far away. But if you trust in God and the path He has you on, your perception doesn’t matter. There are other things to learn along the way. Just relax! You’ll get there in due time.