In his book, The Lenten Labyrinth, Edward Hayes has this rabbinical parable:
The disciples of a rabbi came to him, and they asked him about the zaddik, zealous people who work themselves into a frenzy to reach ecstasy and religious enlightenment. So he told them this story:
Once a king created a maze of complicated passageways. He then sat in the center of the maze and told his followers to come to him. Those who came were two types. The first group entered the maze with sledgehammers and crowbars. They forced their way to the center. The second group came in very quietly and gently, wandering around the maze. Whenever they came to a complicated, twisted turn, they wrote out a little message and left it there for those who were to come after them.
The rabbi said that those in the first group were obsessed with the command of the king to come to him. Those of the second group, conversely, had faith in the great mercy of the king. They had faith that the king would magnetically draw them to himself.
There are a couple of things in this story that are relevant to me on my Lenten journey. The first is that God is not concerned with the intensity of my journey as he is with the intention of my journey. Like the travelers with the sledgehammers and crowbars, it is easy to want to rush the journey and get to the center as soon as possible and by any means. But that is to forget that part of the purpose of the journey is the journey. It is following the maze, stopping at the corners to get our bearings, resting along the way, trying to understand and navigate the twists and turns. It is easy for me to want to short-circuit the journey and rush to the center, breaking down walls, climbing over barriers, even rushing passed those who are plodding along. And all the while I forget that the discipline of the journey has something in itself to teach me – patience, humility, to slow down, to accept the opportunity to acknowledge my confusion and limited knowledge and understanding of the meaning of the journey. It is an opportunity to grow.
The story also reminds me of the importance of sharing with others who are also on this journey. Sharing a note with those who come after me is a form of encouragement and also a reminder that I am not alone on this journey of life and spiritual growth. Maybe we can see this as an invitation to leave actual notes, “Lenten Journey Notes”, of encouragement for those who come after us this Lenten season. These notes could be left on the bus, the subway, under a pillow, on an office desk or posted on a fridge or bulletin board. They could even be digital notes, posted on friend’s Facebook pages, encouraging them on their journey. They would be little messages of hope and encouragement for others who, like us, are on the journey and sometimes find themselves caught up in the confusion and challenges of life.
The Lenten journey is not to the swift, but to the steady and the faithful. It is not a race to see how fast we can navigate the Lenten path. That, of course, is not really possible, forty days are forty days. But how we walk that path is up to us. We can rush through our devotional times and our prayers to get them out of the way or we can think about what we are saying and what we are attempting to promise. We can pause and rest and reflect on what seems to be happening to us as we make our journey. And as we journey, we are reminded of the great mercy of the one who calls us to himself. Blessings.
