Labyrinth

"The LORD will keep your going out and your coming in from this time on and forevermore." Psalm 121:8

Two separate thoughts came to my mind when I read this passage from Psalm 121:

1. When I first read this, I thought of my breath - of God being in my breath (going out, coming in). I like the idea of God being in my breath. But, it also reminds me that God is in the breath of all those around me. God is in the breath of friends and family. God is in the breath of those I don't get along with - with those I disagree with. God is in the breath of all creation. How would our world be different if everyone took a moment to realize that God's breath is us all? Would people treat each other differently? Would we be open to seeing the "holy" in another?

2. In October 2008, I had the opportunity to go to "Spirit in the Desert," a Lutheran retreat center in Arizona. I had never been to a desert before, so this was a new and exciting experience for me. On the property is a labyrinth and one day I decided to walk through the labyrinth (the one pictured above!) as part of my morning meditation. The sun was just coming up and the earth was still. I felt God walking with me as I was "coming in" and "going out" of the labyrinth....just as God was with me as I was born (coming in) and is with me now as I move through life and will be when I finally breathe my last, going out - with God.

I give thanks that nothing separates us from your love, God. Thank you for being forever with us, never abandoning us, but rather walking with us through the good and the bad, celebrating our joys and sharing our sorrows.