The Labyrinth
Guest Writer: Gary Kimmel
“The mind can go in a thousand directions, but on this beautiful path, I walk in peace. With each step, the wind blows. With each step, a flower blooms.”–Thich Nhat Hanh
All Saints Episcopal Church Labyrinth, Southern Shores, North Carolina
This past September, I joined our church’s Labyrinth Walk for the Fall Equinox and Racial Reconciliation. A word that caught my attention from the brief service bulletin was “balance.” And that is what I focused on.
As I walked the labyrinth, I noticed two things: the stones that lined the path and the turns at the end of each path section.
The stones keep one “balanced” during their journey. You can’t go too far right or too far left without the stones reminding you that you will be leaving the path. I can remember how my parents, teachers, and other mentors were my “stones” growing up—never insisting or forcing, just reminding and encouraging. As I left childhood, I had to find my own “stones,” a journey unto itself. I have been blessed with a loving wife and close family and friends who make that journey worthwhile. My faith journey has been filled with challenges that have shown me the limits of my path, as well as travels and experiences that have shown me how wide my path can be.
The turns at the end of each labyrinth section change direction and require you to be particularly focused on staying balanced, literally. Turn too quickly, and you may stumble or fall. In life, I am often challenged with turns, changes in direction. Many of them are uninitiated by me and often take me out of my comfort zone. Those turns can throw me off my straight-line balance. At those times, I must be particularly aware of listening for God’s intention.
All of this reminds me that I am not in control – God is. So, the challenge is to discern the limits of my path – what God intends, not me. To be comfortable with what I have been called to and not covet what someone else has been called to, only supportive. And especially for me, to welcome the “turns” in my life that set me on paths I had never dreamed of.
Gary Kimmel