| Footprints in the Sand |
| One night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord. |
| Many scenes from my life flashed across the sky. |
| In each scene I noticed footprints in the sand. |
| Sometimes there were two sets of footprints, |
| other times there were one set of footprints. |
| This bothered me because I noticed |
| that during the low periods of my life, |
| when I was suffering from |
| anguish, sorrow or defeat, |
| I could see only one set of footprints. |
| So I said to the Lord, |
| “You promised me Lord, |
| that if I followed you, |
| you would walk with me always. |
| But I have noticed that during |
| the most trying periods of my life |
| there have only been one |
| set of footprints in the sand. |
| Why, when I needed you most, |
| you have not been there for me?” |
| The Lord replied, |
| “The times when you have |
| seen only one set of footprints, |
| is when I carried you.” |
| Mary Stevenson |
Yesterday I attended the first preparation meeting for Kairos #52. We did the Footprints in the Sand exercise. I have done this many times before and its various lessons always come through:
1. God has been faithful to me. As Christians we know that God is faithful; but we often forget that He has been faithful to each of us. It is important to occasionally review our lives as a reminder how often and how miraculously he has gotten us through.
2. God will be faithful again. Our faithlessness is almost as guaranteed as His faithfulness. Each day I still struggle with thoughts about how I will get through this latest “crisis.” You would think that having looked back recalling His faithfulness so many times, that this would no longer be an issue. But it is.
3. I have a story. After we do our Footprints review, we share it with someone else. Their caring response teaches the lesson that we each have a story and our story is a burden we need to share. The sharing helps us because sharing helps release the hold the past sometimes has on us. But it also helps the other person. We are so prone to believe that we alone struggle; it is a great lesson that we all struggle and God is faithful always to all His children.
4. We leave footprints. Perhaps the most obvious lesson from the exercise, and the one I often miss, is that we leave footprints. Every step we take in life leaves a mark and tells a story. Others are watching our stroll along the beach. Unlike footprints in sand, we can’t go back and cover them up and the incoming tide won’t wash them away. Everything we do matters. Not everything we do is eternally significant. We need to make our footprints count for something. Every print. Every day.
Walk with God and
Be blessed.
Nick
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