Desert Path – 20″ x 24″ – sand, pebbles, plaster – Lent, 2009.
Last week marked the beginning of Lent, a season characterized by self-examination and turning our attention and intention toward our spiritual life.
I chose to make a labyrinth for this season, because it seems like a good image for the path of my life. Most of us find that our journey in this life is not a broad paved highway. Rather, our paths wind around, sometimes doubling back on themselves, and taking unexpected turns. Sometimes we think we are making progress, only to find ourselves suddenly turned around and heading in a different direction. This is as true for material life as it is for spiritual life. And sometimes a reversal in our material situation can bring about great progress in our spiritual life. But the point of a labyrinth, (and the difference between a labyrinth and a maze) is that it is a single path, with a single destination. There are no dead ends, and although you might feel lost or confused about the path as you are on it, you cannot actually get lost.
Wherever each of us is on his or her journey, whatever unexpected situations we encounter, we can look for how, in His own time, God is drawing us closer to Himself with every twist and turn.