MY LIFE'S LABYRINTH

My Life’s Labyrinth by Iris M. Ford This journey, which we call life, is like wandering through a labyrinth. One can feel lost, or misdirected. At another time one can even be galloping along laughing and having a good time. Other times all looks scary and dangerous. Where are we really safe? Some faces are intent, noting everything along the way; still others are so sad it makes one want to cry just looking at them. A few people walk through with utter confidence; they look calm and are always keen to try something new and different. I wonder where I am along this journey we call life? Where am I going? Christ is also with us along the labyrinth, showing us which way to walk, where to be cautious. Christ, however, does not remove us when we are lost; He just remains by our side, so it is scary sometimes. Christ also walked this way before us, and His way included a cross. Could there be a tragedy ahead for us? How will we do? If there is another world-wide war, how will it work out for us? How does one control anything these days with social media reporting all sights and calamities world-wide almost immediately? Here is the number one spiritual discovery we now face: we cannot successfully traverse our Life’s Labyrinth without Christ’s power. That is the greatest spiritual discovery ahead of us. To fully live this truth we need Jesus’ understanding and love, and this is what the Holy Spirit gives us. But Christ waits for an invitation from us. He waits for us to open to His Spirit. Then slowly, bit by bit, we are aware of a power going before us, telling us what to say and showing us what to do. Note the change that is happened in you. The power and the confidence to fully live and share our love for Jesus are obviously ours when the Holy Spirit comes into our lives. As I write these words I am recovering from a serious accident. I was hit by a truck, striking with great force down my right side. It broke my collar bone and crushed my right hip. It has enforced twelve months of recovering, but the Lord has made good use of this enforced rest. I have been working on this book, day by day, moment by moment, but I can only type a few minutes at a time. The road is hard to endure at times, we need to pray for each other and share a helping hand. Some of our fellow walkers will see right through us and go another way. Are we really following Christ, does it show? Do we talk about Christ along the way? Are we different? Do we care for other people, giving a helping hand and a kind word, or do we walk silently, intent on finding the way through, but careless about another’s feelings? The labyrinth, as an image of life’s journey, is actually quite appropriate. It is different from a maze. Whoever reads this book first looks at the labyrinth picture and wonders, how do I walk with Christ through this? Every labyrinth offers a way to meditate and think about one’s life, praying as you walk along. This is also true of the walk with Christ in daily life; we talk with Him along the way. Walking a labyrinth with Jesus holds up a mirror reflecting back to us not only the light of our finest hour, but also the grief of our worst hour. All is seen, understood and forgiven by Christ. One day Jesus said to his followers to go out and bear fruit. What did He mean? I don’t think that bearing fruit is something we easily do for Jesus. It is something He does through us. We might say, “I don’t have the personality or the salesman’s ability to go out there and bear fruit. I’m totally inadequate for that!” Good! I believe that it is in our weakest areas that God can make us strongest – that is if we have a ‘want-to’ (even a faint one) and tell the Lord about it. Someone has said that “Courage is just fear that has said its prayers”. We are so enormously needy! That’s the way God made us. The difference is how we go about having our needs met. If we believe that God’s will is for our greatest good, then we have the greatest basic belief for a healthy spiritual life. Walking along our Life’s Labyrinth is a deeply spiritual journey as we centre down into ourselves. We need to be aware, though, that we do not walk alone. Other people are on this journey too, people of all ages from every country. Last year, while in Mexico, my friend and I helped baby turtles find their way to the ocean. They were so small in my hand, so frail. Sometimes I myself feel about that size when contemplating what life asks me to do. Where to start? Start where you are – feeling small and vulnerable. Tell Jesus how you feel and He will help. What would He say? Does anyone know what Jesus would say today? The nine “Sayings of Jesus” looked at in this book are great discussion sayings. Try talking about “being like a mustard seed” for when Jesus talks about our faith He suggests starting small like a mustard seed. He knows how we are feeling - inadequate. One wonders how He started with His disciples of old. They were fishermen and uneducated, they too must have felt inadequate, not knowing what to say. Little did they know then what would finally happen to Jesus, but they were drawn to Him. Jesus did not come across as strong and masterful, far from it. He showed them how to act by His own actions. He was a man of few words, so let’s not be like someone who talks a lot, as if they know everything. That would put his listeners off, right? Tell another quietly, thoughtfully how you feel about Jesus as you journey through the Labyrinth.. There is only one centre to a labyrinth, but the flat, gentle path carefully leads us there. The centre for a Christian’s life, of course, is Heaven, but a labyrinth also leads us to understand our personal centre. On Christ we stand or fall, He is not only our centre but also our foundation. This we come to understand more clearly as we meditate along Life’s Labyrinth. The historic Labyrinth is some 3500 years old, yet today it offers us time to set aside all else to meditate and pray. My prayer is that as you read this book, and follow the selected Sayings of Jesus, you will pray your way through each one. Above all, let’s invite Christ to walk along our Labyrinth with us. He has said that all who come to Him He will not cast out. He is listening, He is there beside you. Look!