Chaplains on the River

We have all experienced a maze at one time or another.  Perhaps you were in a circus…or a county fair…or a corn field maze at Halloween time.  Mazes are designed to be confusing…scary…and to get people dazed, confused, and lost.  During several boat visits lately, I have found some people who felt like their lives were mazes.  They lacked direction or purpose, not exactly knowing what direction to move in next.  If you have ever shared these feelings, you know how uncomfortable it can be.  Imagine trying to navigate on the river at night with no lights, radar, or AIS…feeling a little stress?  When we see life as a maze, we end up living agitated much of the time.

But consider a labyrinth.  Labyrinths and mazes may be confused, but they are very different.  A maze is a puzzle to be solved, with twists, turns, and blind alleys.  A labyrinth has only one path…a journey to the center and back out again.  There are no wrong turns or blind alleys.  The unique nature of a labyrinth is that the path to the center is circuitous.  At one point you may be headed directly toward the goal…the next you may be moving away or tangentally…but you can trust that you will reach the center.

This seems like the way to understand our sometimes confusing life experiences.  By trusting that God is walking with us, loving us, and guiding us on the path, we are better equipped to cope with life’s surprises.  Author Caroline Adams expressed it:  “Your life is a sacred journey.  And it is about change, growth, discovery, movement, transformation, continuously expanding your vision of what is possible, stretching your soul, learning to see clearly and deeply, listening to your intuition, taking courageous challenges at every step along the way.”

The Bible reminds us of trusting God on our journey through the Labyrinth of Life.  In Proverbs 3:5-6, we read “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”  Remember this phrase from Psalm 23:  “Even though I walk through thr valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me” (vs. 4).  Hear these timely yet timeless words of Jesus Christ found in Matthew 11:28: “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (All Scripture quotations from the English Standard Version.)

Life is not a maze meant to confuse, but a journey on which we receive and share blessings.  We are all on the path…exactly where we need to be…at different places than perhaps anyone else…no better and no worse…just who we are and how we need to be with God’s abiding presence, power, and guidance.  The labyrinth is a model of our life journey.  And God calls it…and us…good!

See you on the river!

Chaplain Mike