Key West Botanical Gardens, Key West, FL at 11:07 a.m. 

The timing of this labyrinth lesson post is interesting. Though the labyrinth walk was over a year ago (February 11, 2022), the timing of the post coincides with my return to Florida (this time from the Bahamas) and *almost* seems to contradict some upcoming posts about family relationships.

However, as I considered all three posts (this one, as well as the next two posts), I realize they actually support, not contradict each other, when I talk about family.

So here we go!

Family is everything / important 

At the end of the day, family is family.  We don’t always agree with each other- heck, sometimes we don’t even LIKE who they are as people. 🤷🏽‍♀️ Nonetheless, family is family.

I’ll add, however, that family is not limited to blood ties. Adoption, marriage, love and other relationship ties have created families that differ from what was once the standard definition.

Whether family is a tie that binds (and gags), or one that anchors us securely with love and positive support is determined by each of us.

For me, this revelation came with an assignment that I have not yet carried out – that I am to be an ambassador of peace and reconciliation for families (one specific family in particular).

I believe:

  • family is important, 
  • hard conversations and honest, open communication are gateways to better relationships, and
  • some family secrets should be unveiled (within the family) so that those affected can be liberated from the harm they’ve caused and experienced.

I’ve been wanting this to happen for a LONG time, and I’m ready for the work that needs to be done, but are they?

When?

Weeks!

I had some pretty specific questions about the timing of some expected events, and the answer I got was SOON, followed by WEEKS.

There’s more, of course, but the rest isn’t for public consumption.

So, here we are-  61 weeks later.

And as I have been so often reminded, God’s timing is not our own, and his version of ‘SOON’ is markedly different from mine. 

8 But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.

2 Peter 3:8 Tweet

You had to learn the lessons  

But WHY?  

It’s been a minute since I entered that labyrinth with my questions, but I am pretty sure that was my question.  And being told I needed to learn some lessons feels quite a bit like chastisement.

Nonetheless, there has always truth spoken to me in a labyrinth. Every experience-good and bad, comes with lessons we can learn from. And the last 14 months have been no exception.