The Hawk and the Labyrinth

My family and I live on a farm in Rwanda, and we are blessed to have enough land that, over the summer, we were able to put in a small prayer labyrinth. My mornings consist of sleepily making my coffee, slipping on my grubby garden Crocs, and slowly making my way through the labyrinth and out again.

Each morning, I choose a breath prayer to meditate on, matching my steps to my breaths in a slow, embodied stroll to the middle. Right foot—inhale. Left foot—exhale. When I am finished, I carry that prayerful posture with me as I walk through my garden beds, plucking stubborn weeds and admiring the latest leaves and blooms. It’s a beautiful, contemplative time and space that I feel blessed to have anchoring my days in this season.

This morning, I went into this space particularly praying about what to write for this piece. Transitions—yikes. What keeps me anchored? I dunno. I’ve spent a lot in the last year feeling pretty unmoored after so many friends departed. I could talk about personal rhythms. I feel like I always talk about personal rhythms. Broken record, Karli. Maybe I could talk abo—

WHOOSH! 

I barely had time to register the fast-moving shadow before I ducked out of the way of a dive-bombing hawk. My coffee sloshed out of my mug to the ground as I stumbled to the side. I looked around, bewildered, to see that the hawk wasn’t actually aiming at me but instead at a flock of small birds in the garden. He missed, but hit my fence. He looked about as dazed and confused as I was!

I observed him for a moment before he flew off, both in awe of his beauty and intimidated by his strength (and talons). And just like that, he was gone. 

I picked up my coffee cup—I managed to salvage some of the coffee as I haphazardly tossed it on the ground when I ducked. My heart was still beating fast from the encounter. What should I do now?

Step back into the labyrinth, I realized. As jarring as the hawk’s sudden presence was, I had to just continue with my morning. So I picked up my breath prayer, brought my presence back to my feet and words and Christ, and went on praying about transitions. How should I talk about transition? Speak to me, Lord!

It wasn’t long into the labyrinth before I felt the whisper of the Spirit, “Isn’t this morning a lot like how transitions feel in our lives? Like a hawk dive-bombing you and scaring the mess out of you, leaving you breathless and a little dirty, and then you just have to find your footing again and get on with life?“

Yeah. That’s exactly what it feels like.

Being knocked completely out of balance, and then figuring out how to keep going.

Teammates leave unexpectedly.

A medical situation takes you away from your chosen country for a season.

A loved one passes away.

Jobs shift, schooling arrangements shift.

A staff member betrays your trust.

A friend becomes distant.

Leadership takes ministry in a different direction.

We all experience transitions at some time during our lives overseas. Many of us feel like we are in constant transition.

So . . . what helps? 

Be Rooted in Your Calling

In the moments after my encounter with the hawk, I had to remind myself why I was outside in the first place—to go through the grounding meditation and prayer time that anchors my days. When transitions come, they can make us question everything about our lives, especially our purpose for living abroad. Root yourself in what the Lord has called you to do, and ask him to keep that in the front of your mind as an anchor to your days. 

Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. (Colossians 2:6–7 ESV)

Return to Your Breath

To bring myself down from the adrenaline rush, I had to bring myself back into my walking breath meditation which eventually calmed my heart rate and helped me regain my composure and focus. One of the most grounding things we can do in times of transition is to go back to the basics, both of our faith and our work. What are the building blocks of your faith practice? What are the daily activities that remind you of why you do the work you do? Make sure these basics are in place and that you are deriving your peace and comfort from how the Lord meets you in these spaces. Don’t overcomplicate things. Don’t try something new and wild to try to soothe your weary soul. Just breathe.

. . .that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. (Ephesians 3:16–19 ESV)

Know the Path Forward

It was relatively easy to continue on with my daily walk as I stepped back into the labyrinth and continued along the path. When we know the path the Lord has asked us to walk (even if we only know a step or two), it’s easier to continue along the way when transitions come that threaten to derail us. Remind yourself of your overall mission and vision, both personally and professionally. Fix your eyes on the path he is leading you on.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. (Hebrews 12:1 ESV)

Friends, when transitions come and we struggle to stay grounded, I pray that Love would be the soil into which you sink deep roots. May you walk confidently in Christ’s power and purpose for you, may you find comfort and stability in his daily graces, and may you go forth boldly in the Spirit onto the path he has set before you. 

What grounds you in moments or seasons of change?