Campus prayer labyrinth provides space for reflection and meditation

by Alice King – Opinion Editor

How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to Your Word. With my whole heart I seek You; let me not wander from Your commandments! I have stored up Your Word in my heart, that I might not sin against You. – Psalm 119:9-11 (ESV)

DSC_0162Last week Hesston College faculty, staff and students completed work on a prayer labyrinth, a place for solitude, self reflection and meditation with God, for prayers big and small.

The idea behind a prayer labyrinth is this: When you walk into the labyrinth, you don’t know where you are going; it’s comparable to our journey’s with Christ, we don’t know where He is going to take us but we maintain our faith in Him and eventually we get to the center, Him.

As someone who has, in my past, not always known or understood where God was taking me, this new space is especially meaningful.

I grew up in a Christian household with co-pastor parents. I knew about the Bible. My parents weren’t over-protective, so I also knew about real life. When I became independent from my parents, my eyes opened up to a whole new world and I let it get the best of me.

DSC_0137After five years of a “fun” but reckless lifestyle, I hit the wonderful age of 22.  And as 23 began to come up on me even quicker, I realized I needed to do something productive with my life.

I’ve lacked faith in the past. I didn’t see Him, so how could I talk to Him?  Quite frankly, I blamed Him for the consequences for my actions. I attempted to go back to what I thought I knew: prayer. Each time I prayed I was self-conscious and felt ridiculous talking to “no one.” The biggest obstacles I dealt with were what to say, how to say it and where to pray. After all, He wasn’t physically there.

Over time, and through prayer, my faith has cemented itself and I’ve learned a few things: First, mediation in Him and prayer is powerful. He does hear you, however you want to pray and however long your prayer is. Second, as a young adult and college student, I understand that we often times are so busy with our academics, sports, campus events and social lives that we forget to take out time to pray about the good, bad and everything in between.

I understand the challenges and peer pressure we are faced with, but I also understand that regardless of what an adult tells you, you’re going to do whatever you want. I challenge each of us to always pray, anyway you feel comfortable and ignore the self-consciousness you might feel. Trust that the path, and the prayer, will bring you back to the center.

 

 

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