At the Grotto they have added a prayer labyrinth designed to provide a disciplined journey that allows plenty of time to talk to God. During my prayer and planning time a few weeks ago I watched as people looked at this "patio," maybe walked across it, and then moved on. I decided to follow the path, and to my surprise, everyone after me did the same! They just needed to see someone go before them.
As I sat on a nearby bench watching the others, several even offered me accountability for their journey. "Hey, how am I doing?" and "Is it much farther?" And it struck me; life is like this layrinth. After people had cleared out I went back out and walked it again. 376 steps to the center, 31 twists and turns, but only 8 steps to the middle if you ignore the path.
God gives us a life with many twists and turns, and we get to decide whether to stay on the path and learn from each redirection, or try and take the fast track; only 8 steps to the middle if we skip the path. And as I pulled back to look at the whole labyrinth, it's a big, beautiful circle full of details. Details that represent fullness, experiences, and wisdom that enrich us and allow us to help others on their path. And I thought of John 10:10 "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full."
What if we tried to skip every twist and turn in life? To take the short cut? Don't let the thief steal your life away, stay on the path and have life to the full. Jesus walked the path before us. Follow him!