At the Foot of the Cross

January 11, 2012 At the beginning of our trip we spent 24ish hours in Hong Kong. Our only morning there before breakfast I went to a lookout spot where a huge white cross is located with the city below. There I did my daily prayer and devotion. After breakfast our team took some time to be fully in the presence of the Holy Spirit, walking and declaring scripture through a prayer labyrinth. It was difficult because along the way there would be road blocks causing us to stumble, so we either had to turn around and take another path or make a turn. At times it was tempting to look which way others were going or to look ahead and see which way would be the best path. The lesson to be learned was that while walking with God we cannot look ahead or walk the way others walk. I was told once that "no one walks as you walk"; each person's relationship with Christ is different, filled with different lessons and experiences. If we are tempted to look ahead we will both stumble and fall. We might even miss something God has planned for right here and right now because we are too focused on the future. I did not even make it to the end of the prayer labyrinth because somewhere along the way I got turned around, which was also a lesson for us because we cannot be so focused on one thing or on nothing at all or we may never reach our goal(s). After this exercise was over we went back to the foot of the cross where I had been earlier that morning. There we spent some time in prayer and meditation thinking about our goals for the semester. Here were my Spiritual goals for this journey: -To be evident to all in my faith and trust in Jesus Christ (Philippians 4:4). -To know Jesus more whether it be through His Word, prayer, experiences, or all. -To never be blind to His path so I can lead others around me and lead those who need Christ to Himself. -To have the power of the Holy Spirit be my strength, my wisdom, my comfort, my guide, etc. each day. -To be more open with my faith and maybe share it with someone. -To be an encourager/encouragement to my team and those I meet along the way. -To say at the end of my journey that I have done all Christ has called me to (2 Tim. 4:7).