”The Labyrinth, the Tire, and Gratitude (all in one week)”
Has anything in your life ever gone differently than what you expected? What did you think? And how did you respond?
I recently attended the Bridgepoint Breakaway retreat for solitude, reflection and prayer. The setting was a retreat center in rural Maryland, withlots of nature to bask in, and the weather was near perfect.
My goals for the retreat were to enjoy the beauty of God’s creation, to worship Him, and to hear His direction for this next phase of my life.
They had a labyrinth (picture below), which has one way in from the outside to the center, and the same way out, just in the reverse direction. It was a great metaphor for the twists, turns, reversals and surprises in our lives. As you know, I have had a wide range of those this year, includingmedical tests, a driving prohibition, travel, unexpected friendships, and welcome blessings.
The organizer of the retreat gave us a few suggestions for the two or so hours of solitude we would have. Four that resonated with me were:
- Surrender your life to God, asking Him for His will to be done in your life.
- Confess your sins to God and ask for His forgiveness.
- Make a list of specific blessings God has given you in the past several months.
- Reflect back over the past year. List the things that brought you life and joy. Make another list of life-thwarting things. What do you discover about yourself? What changes do you need to make?
That framework fit well with the first five verses of Psalm 103: “Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; Who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies; Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.”
As I made the list of blessings, I was overcome by how many there were, and by God’s faithfulness in bringing me through a very restrictive time (medically directed not to drive) and freeing me with the final doctor’s beautiful words “no restrictions!!”
As for changes, the life-giving things I want to improve are my daily focus on the Lord, my sleep routine and my exercise routine, with the goal to be obedient to the Lord. The life-thwarting things I want to reduce or eliminate are clutter and the time sink of much social media.
Two days after the retreat, I grazed a curb while turning a corner on the way home from church on Thursday and it cut the sidewall of a tire. That cost me about 8 hours of productivity, including a futile attempt to reinflate the tire with a portable air pump, scrambling to find the password on my AAA app, two tow truck rides, a visit and phone calls to locate a replacement tire, and hours in thewaiting room while it was being replaced.
How did I respond? After all, James 1:2-4 tells us “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.”
Well, I did get frustrated. I called a friend from GraceWay and was very grateful for his help. That, coupled with AAA and the kindness of people I had never met before, helped resolve my problem in time for soulwinning outreach on Friday night, prayer meeting Saturday night, church on Sunday and the church picnic on Monday.
As I related this embarrassing incident to several people over the next few days, I was surprised at how many of them said they had a similar experience. Sheila Walsh recently said in an interview on the “Hope Talks” podcast, “My brokenness is a far greater bridge to people than my pretend wholeness had ever been.” (The full episode is 05/22/2025 – Depression, Mental Health & God’s Healing Grace with Sheila Walsh)
Looking back, I see that Romans 8:28 had been at work all along: “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them that are called according to His purpose.”
What are the key take-aways from those few days?
- Brief inattention can cost us time and money.(Note: intentional sin costs even more!)
- Asking for and accepting help is a sign of maturity, not weakness.
- Grace. We have a merciful, loving savior, who often expresses that grace through other people. The ultimate reflection of that grace, though, is captured in the words in the song: “May I never lose the wonder
The wonder of the cross
May I see it like the first time
Standing as a sinner lost
Undone by mercy and left speechless
Watching wide eyed at the cost
May I never lose the wonder
The wonder of the cross.” - Gratitude is the most beneficial response.
At the end of the retreat, the leader asked if anyone had a closing word of encouragement. One of my late wife Elaine’s favorite passages came to mind and I’m happy to share it with you as well: “Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh within us, unto Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.” – Ephesians 3:20-21