Building Fences: Is restriction good for you?

He marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. God did this so that they would seek him.

—Acts 17:26b-27a

With temperatures in the 60s, nothing could keep me from my walk that January afternoon. I circumvented cow pies and mud puddles as I traipsed through the field and pasture on my way to the water’s edge. But when I arrived, I was dismayed to find fence posts now dotting the landscape.

Why would anyone want to put up a fence to restrict access to the bay?

Unlocking the Secret of the Labyrinth

Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”

—Isaiah 30:21

Until last week, I had never walked a labyrinth—although the idea intrigued me for years.

When I read the July 29^th devotion in Daily Guideposts, which referenced a steel hedge labyrinth, I was once again fascinated with the idea and turned to the Labyrinth Locator to find one in my area. I was surprised to find three.

A few days later, while kayaking on the St. Mary’s River with my friend Paul, I remembered that one of the three was located just a stone’s throw away on the grounds of historic Trinity Episcopal Church.

Soon Paul and I made our way up the riverbank and onto the church property, where we landed in the memorial gardens—and discovered why it has been described as a place where “land, water and sky meet in beauty and take the breath away” (Saint Mary's Parish).

After taking pause and savoring the beauty from an inviting bench that overlooked the river, we ventured through the sacred cemetery to find the labyrinth.