Musings from the Prayer Labyrinth...

Walking a prayer labyrinth is a lesson in reaching a center like no other. The labyrinth, upon first impression appearing to be a maze, is actually an intricate pathway.  While the bends and turns seem to lead nowhere, when followed, they will always lead to the very center.  There are points in the path where the center seems far away, but at those very points the center of the labyrinth can actually be the closest to you.  In these and other ways, the process of walking a labyrinth can be mindful of one’s personal relationship with God.

Life is often reminiscent of a maze.  The harder we try to get through, the more burdened and confused we become; we find we are constantly running into roadblocks. It is only when we comprehend that life is not a maze, but a complex pathway, that we begin to understand.  We can only start acknowledging our powerlessness when we realize that the roadblocks are often stepping stones meant to bend our will in the right direction.  Just as the labyrinth’s pathway always leads to the center, if we stay on the pathway with God it will always lead us to our perfect center with Him.

With twists and turns along the way, praying in a labyrinth is very different from praying in a seated or knelling position.   While walking the path your eyes must be open to avoid tripping; life is also very much like that.  We have to walk through it with our eyes wide open.  This means that no matter how hard we are walking towards God, there will always be distractions on our path that take our eyes off Him.  In a labyrinth it may be a stick, a bug, a weed, but in life the distractions are larger and more threatening…a sin, an addiction, a disappointment, the list is endless.  We must keep our eyes focused on our path rather than the distractions.  Distractions lead to desire, desire leads to addiction, addiction leads to sin, and sin ultimately leads to death.

Much like life, the path in a labyrinth, not a straight one, can be deceiving. Thinking you are the farthest away from the center, you find with a single turn that you are actually arriving there.  Similarly, the valleys of life that pull at our hearts and make God seem very distant are also often the very things that often turn our hearts towards Him.  Since God never moves, the illusion that He is far away is always a lie from Satan meant to deceive our hearts. 

The similarities of a prayer labyrinth and life are many, but the strongest one is that if we are focused on God, our earthly path will always lead us to Him.  Just as the intricate path of the labyrinth will always lead to its’ center, the confusion of a day, the obstacles along our path, and the distance of our hearts from Him can be overcome if we keep putting one foot in front of the others and walking towards Him.  While holding God’s Hand we can conquer whatever Satan throws our way and reach our ultimate center, Heaven.

Roberta Pledge

9/25/12

CHOOSING BLINDNESS...

Reading though the Bible we find ourselves caught up in the stories from the past.  We see God working in the lives of real people in sometimes very unreal ways.  We realize things were different during Bible times, with miracles performed through “touch Jesus” healing, knowing that those of long ago were able to walk with His physical form on this earth. 

All of these things sometimes make the looking back to the past full and real; the present moment is another thing all together.  In the present, we cannot see Jonah in a whale or Jesus in the flesh.  We cannot touch the healed leaper or hear Peter preach.  We definitely live in the present, but where do we find this Jesus from the past?

We do not have to look very far to see Him, but we do have to LOOK.  Satan wants us to see the separation of past and present and blind us to Jesus being alive and real in our daily eyes.  All Satan has to do to achieve this is to turn our eyes in another direction…simply distract us into looking and focusing on something else.  Jesus says, “I am with you ALWAYS,” meaning He is here, present, and ALWAYS with us.  Our God is not a God of the past, but One of the present always abiding with us and through us.  Anything else is a lie…straight from the father of lies (John 8:44)!

Roberta Pledge

9/20/12

FINGERPRINTS...



Frequently, a few days after my precious Harper’s visit, I notice her lingering fingerprints on a glass table or window.  These sweet prints always remind me of my precious blessing and that I miss her terribly.  The truth of the matter is her fingerprints were there all along, I had just failed to notice them.    

The same is true of God.  As we walk along with Him, He continuously touches our lives, leaving His Fingerprints all along the way.  When we are living close to Him, enjoying and aware of His presence in our lives, it is easy to see Him in everything we do.   Occasionally, however, we may move away from Him and fail to see Him working in our lives.  Although He never leaves us, we may feel distant from His presence.  Then abruptly something rocks our world, or we recognize the emptiness in our lives, and our search for Him ignites. 

Then we notice the Fingerprints, His Fingerprints, the ones that have been there all along.  We remember the peaceful times of walking close to Him and yearn to move back to that place of serenity.  Always remember, when blinded to God’s blessings, to search for His lingering Fingerprints.  They will always lead you back to His ever-abiding presence.  

Roberta Pledge
9/8/12

REAL VS. FAKE

 Psalms 32 gives us a quick synopsis of what is real vs. what is fake.  It begins by telling us that a happy person is a forgiven person, and that owning up and being real are what leads to forgiveness.  The opposite, hiding sin and being fake, we can assume will lead straight to the opposite, unhappiness.  This short chapter written by David outlines four basic results of each of these lifestyles. 

·         When we are fake:

1.       We are weak.  Verses 3 and 4 describe this weakness as coming from “deep inside” to the point of causing moaning.  The heat of a summer day can be stifling, leaving you exhausted.  This weakness caused by keeping things to ourselves and being outwardly fake is compared to the frailty caused by fatiguing heat.

2.       Guilt consumes us.  We have lives to live and work to do, but guilt can be paralyzing and leave us with little energy to accomplish anything.

3.       Happiness is fleeting.  We may experience happiness for a brief while, but guilt is always lurking in the shadows, making true happiness is impossible.

4.       Troubles overwhelm us.  Verse 10 states that “wicked people have many troubles.”  Any trouble is too much trouble, but “many troubles” are overpowering!

·         When we are real:

1.       Our guilt is forgiven and we are happy.  With the absence of guilt, true happiness is within our reach! 

2.       Troubles will not reach us or have their full brunt.  Verse 6b-7 states “…when troubles rise like a flood, they will not reach them.  You are my hiding place.  You protect me from my troubles and fill me with songs of salvation.”  This world will always have its trouble, but the knowledge that God is working always for our good keeps our troubles from being overwhelming.

3.       The Lord will give us wisdom and guide us.  Verse 8 and 9 tell this in the best possible way, “I will make you wise and show you where to go.  I will guide you and watch over you.  So don’t be like a horse or donkey, that doesn’t understand.  They must be led with bits and reins, or they will not come near you.”

4.       The Lord’s love surrounds us.  This chapter concludes with the promise that “the Lord’s love surrounds those who trust Him” (vs. 10).  

Confessing our sin, getting real with God and those we have hurt, will bring us to a life spent knowing God’s glory and love.  Growing and maintaining a relationship with our Creator will give earthly peace that cannot be accomplished any other way.  Fake is foolish in that no one will be fooled for long and God will never be fooled…He sees and know all.  Get REAL!

Roberta Pledge

8/2/12

The Assignment

There is an attraction to shining stars.  In the blackest sky, their brilliance is a remarkable sight.  

While the room filled up with teenage girls, the reason for our being there is explained, the assignment simple…sit silently in total darkness for several minutes and observe your feeling.  The ceiling, floor, and walls were all black and, as the lights were dimmed, blackness flooded the room.  As my eyes began to adjust, I started noticing tiny lights sprinkled among us.  The dial of an iridescent watch, the keys of a cell phone, and other minute lights, which would not even be noticed in a normally lit room, were seen all around.  As I tried to focus on the darkness, my mind and eyes kept returning to those small pockets of light scattered about that large room. 

Suddenly it dawned on me that we, as Christians, are to be those tiny strewn lights in this dark sin-filled world.  For those in the world who do not have Christ, our lights are to shine for them as indicators pointing the way to hope.  Because we sit so close to Christ, we may not notice the absolute darkness of our world or our own individual brightness, but those who are searching in the total darkness of this world should be attracted to the glimmer of our light. 

There is an attraction to shining stars.  In the blackest sky, their brilliance is a remarkable sight.  “You will be God’s children…but you are living with crooked and mean people all around you, among whom you shine like stars in the dark world.” Phil. 2:15

Bad From Good???

 “I will take the bad and make good…”  “There is no way to make good from bad,” I think “no way!”  “YOU CALL THAT FAITH?”  As always, I am looking through earthly eyes, and You are looking through Your Heavenly Eyes.  “Count it all JOY when you fall into trials” (James 1:2) and “In EVERYTHING give thanks” (I Thess. 5:18) can seem utterly impossible from a human standpoint, but through God’s eyes they are the easiest road to Him.  His Wisdom is infinite…no, no, no….His Wisdom is exceedingly, abundantly infinite, because He can give “exceedingly, abundantly more” than I can “ask or think” (Eph. 3:21). 

Life is much like a roller coaster ride, when you are climbing the hill all is quiet and calm, but then there is the moment when you realize the calmness is ending and you are so less than calm and quiet.  You know you are safe inside that little car, but it is no less a scary ride.  God is much like our little car and we are safe in Him.  He will protect us and guide us through every dip and turn.  He will bring us closer through the scary parts and show us His protection.  He will not leave us, and as long as we remain with Him, He will hold us in His protective Hands no matter what this earth puts in our path.

Roberta Pledge

7/10/12

Peace...It IS Perfect!

      Trying to get through a day without peace is a little like trying to eat a piece of pie without the sugar …you can definitely tell something has been left out!  The pie is bitter, rather than the sweet you were expecting, and you immediately know an important step was overlooked.  Most often, when a day is lacking peace, it is because an important step has been overlooked.  

Our chaotic lives can often leave us feeling out of control and fearful. No matter how turbulent our day may be going, remember the voice of our Savior on the stormy sea as He spoke the simple words, “Peace, be still.”  This is the same Savior we have in our lives.  If we think He is sleeping and not providing for us, it is simply because we have not taken the time to communicate with Him.

When you lose something and search for it, immediately upon finding it, you realize it was there all along.  The same is true with the Peace that God offers us.  It is always there, even when it is missing from our lives.  We may be searching for peace in many other places, but we will only find it in Him.  When we finally look in the right place, we realize it was there all along!

Roberta Pledge

5/8/2012