Labyrinth

At the parish we stayed at in Tuscan there was a labyrinth. A labyrinth is an ancient form of prayer. It is not a maze. There is only one path: the way in is the way out. It represents life's journey. I was reflecting on this one morning as I walked the labyrinth. The funny thing is, you can see the center. You start out walking straight towards the center, but then the path turns. Sometimes you are right next to the center, and sometimes you are as far away as you can possibly be. Sometimes you have to make a complete u-turn. I thought of these as periods of consolation and desolation. Sometimes you feel God very much and are close. Other times, you don't are you are far away from Him. Sometimes you mess up and you have to u-turn in a new direction. But you keep walking the path because ultimately it will lead you to happiness.
Then you get to the center. As much as you would want to stay there forever, you have to leave. You have to go back into the fray of winding paths and u-turns. You go through consolation and desolation, wondering if you will ever get out. You see the end and want to cheat and just leave. But you can't, because it is the path that you have chosen to take.
I don't really know why God has us walk these labyrinths, but He does and ultimately I will see the end and it will all have been worth it: I have faith in that.