Headaches

If you wonder if the devil is in Garland, then consider the fact that it is the only place I know of where one can get lost going straight and following a map. A few weeks ago, I found out there is a church in Garland which has a labyrinth on the grounds with a large tree in the center.  After following the directions provided by Google, I nearly gave up hope of finding it today. I'd driven back and forth on streets I recognized because I'd driven them many times, most often lost.

However, the church was found and the labyrinth located. It did not seem to have the color and beauty of the picture I'd seen on my phone, but it's summer, and I could tell immediately it would more than do.

I don't generally get headaches, but I've had one (or several) plague me the past few days. Most of the time it is one of those minor annoyances like a small branch scraping across the forehead. For a small thing, it is quite loud, usually telling me to walk another time. A couple of nights ago, it woke me up and screamed something unintelligible. I thought it had gone, but this morning it showed up just as I was about to step on this new (to me) path.

i have wrestled these streets
too long, demon,
to be put off
by niggling detours

Meditating on The Lord's Prayer, I arrived at thoughts about what Jesus didn't say. For example, "Give us this day our daily bread" does not say food will always taste good. "As we forgive those who sin against us" does not add anything about the conditions we are to forgive under. "Deliver us from evil" provides no hint that we won't see horrible difficulties. Perhaps I'm influenced today by the Job chapter of Philip Yancey's The Bible Jesus Read. Maybe, at least intellectually, I'm seeing my pain with different, albeit squinting, eyes.

If I could only get past this headache, I might see real burdens, and have enough grace to help lift them.