Forget-Him-Not

A prayerful labyrinth walk can bring peace and feeling the presence of God. The idea of a Christian labyrinth is to walk towards your personal center: Christ. On the walk out, there is a sense of clarity and renewal, you feel refreshed and revived.

I recently returned from a retreat. There is a labyrinth on the grounds of the retreat center, that is similar to the one pictured above. We had a break in our sessions and a few of us decided to walk the labyrinth. I entered the path and began my journey. I had to keep reminding myself to focus on Jesus. My mind kept wandering to my loved ones, my to do list and at one point I wondered what was on the menu for dinner. The walk in, seemed long. When would I reach the center? There were so many twists and turns, back and forth. When I started one way, the path quickly turned and led me back in the direction from where I had come. It seemed like forever until I reached the center.

Once in the center, I tried to feel the presence of God. I paused for a few moments enjoying the quiet and the stillness. When I felt the urge to move, I did. I began walking and it was very different. I was calmer and I wasn't in a hurry to get out.

I began thinking about different things that I have been praying about. And then, I saw something amazing. There along the path, was a tiny forget-me-not beginning to bloom. They are so small, I must have missed it on my way in. I moved along and thought of another recent prayer request. There, along the path, was another forget-me-not. Huh, how did I miss that one too? Each time I began thinking about my prayer list, there was a tiny little blue flower along the path. The labyrinth was full of them! I had missed them all. Each time I thought of a prayer request or concern, I could sense God saying "forget-me-not. I am bigger than that problem." At one point I thought about one of my "big ones". One of the prayers that is always at the top of my list and at the front of my mind. "Did you forget who I am?" he whispered.

What about..? forget-me-not
What about...? forget-me-not

I could feel His presence so completely, that it seemed like we were walking together. With each step, I could hear his Spirit speaking to me. Do not forget who I am.

Psalm 103

¹ Praise the LORD, O my soul;
all my inmost being, praise his holy name.

² Praise the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits-

³ who forgives all your sins
and heals all your diseases,

⁴ who redeems your life from the pit
and crowns you with love and compassion,

⁵ who satisfies your desires with good things
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.

⁶ The LORD works righteousness
and justice for all the oppressed.

⁷ He made known his ways to Moses,
his deeds to the people of Israel:

⁸ The LORD is compassionate and gracious,
slow to anger, abounding in love.

⁹ He will not always accuse,
nor will he harbor his anger forever;

¹⁰ he does not treat us as our sins deserve
or repay us according to our iniquities.

¹¹ For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his love for those who fear him;

¹² as far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

¹³ As a father has compassion on his children,
so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him;

¹⁴ for he knows how we are formed,
he remembers that we are dust.

¹⁵ As for man, his days are like grass,
he flourishes like a flower of the field;

¹⁶ the wind blows over it and it is gone,
and its place remembers it no more.

¹⁷ But from everlasting to everlasting
the LORD's love is with those who fear him,
and his righteousness with their children's children-

¹⁸ with those who keep his covenant
and remember to obey his precepts.

¹⁹ The LORD has established his throne in heaven,
and his kingdom rules over all.

²⁰ Praise the LORD, you his angels,
you mighty ones who do his bidding,
who obey his word.

²¹ Praise the LORD, all his heavenly hosts,
you his servants who do his will.

²² Praise the LORD, all his works
everywhere in his dominion.
Praise the LORD, O my soul.

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Folklore and legend of the forget-me-not from Wikipedia. In a German legend, God named all the plants when a tiny unnamed one cried out, "Forget-me-not, O Lord!" God replied, "That shall be your name."In another legend, the little flower cried out, "Forget-me-not!" as Adam and Eve left the Garden of Eden.

In yet another, the Christ Child was sitting on Mary's lap one day and said that he wished that future generations could see her eyes. He touched her eyes and then waved his hand over the ground and blue forget-me-nots appeared, hence the name forget-me-not.

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I have been trying to grow forget-me-nots in my garden for several years, without success. I finally found a spot where they are happy and they are flourishing! When I got home from the retreat, my little angel was waiting in the flowers.