I’m always disappointed when a church provides no information on their website about their labyrinth, its purpose or how to utilize it. Unfortunately, most of the labyrinths I have visited at churches have little or no signage or information about them.
All Saints Episcopal Church, located at 1322 Kimball Ave, Richland, WA 99354, gets a big high five and gold star ⭐️ because their labyrinth was easy to find and their website clearly explained its purpose. 🎉
I was tired when I arrived in Richland, WA and for reasons I don’t understand, I took NO pictures of this labyrinth- either that or my iPhone ate them (I’m pretty sure my iPhone ate them 🤷🏽♀️).
Even though it was still early in the day (just after noon on September 26, 2022), I was feeling worn out. I wasn’t physically tired- I was emotionally and spiritually disoriented. I was just a few hours from my destination and I knew where I was going- I even had a roadmap to follow, but I still felt lost… I was disconcerted and out of sorts. Those are the moments when I most need, seek and expect some clarity and intercession from God. I didn’t get it- at least not in a way that I understood.
Instead, I got:
“I’ve given you all the answers you need for now.”
Instead of answers, reassurance and a feeling of renewal, all I can remember from my brief stop there was a feeling of frustration. There are only two other things that stood out in my mind- enough so that I had written them down as notes to myself- two ‘snapshots’ of what seemed to be significant moments in time, despite their inaneness:
First, I noted the lady across the street who looked like she was on the verge of being dragged down the street by her dog- an energetic and rambunctious black lab mix. My instincts told me that I was not there for personal revelations, but as a reminder to myself that we are here to help others, and that our path in life does not always direct us somewhere just for our own benefit.
Despite that thought, I defied my impulse to walk over and show her a trick I’d been taught for how to quickly and easily teach a dog to sit on command. Even as I continued to watch her trying to convince him to sit (he would not), I resisted the urge to help. The whole scene felt like it was running in slow-motion, and even though I felt like it was supposed to have some sort of significance, it also felt… contrived. It was weird.
What, other than my disappointing behavior, stands out to you here?
