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"Footprints in the Sand"
One of my all time favorite poems is "Footprints in the Sand" by Mary Stevenson.
" One night, I dreamed a dream.
I was walking along the beach with my Lord.
Across the dark sky flashed scenes from my life.
For each scene, I noticed two sets of footprints in the sand,
one belonging to me and one to my Lord.
When the last scene of my life shot before me,
I looked back at the footprints in the sand.
There was only one set of footprints.
I realized that this was at the lowest and saddest times of my life.
This always bothered me
and I questioned the Lord about my dilemma.
"Lord, you told me when I decided to follow You,
you would walk and talk with me all the way.
But I'm aware that during the most troublesome times in my life,
there is only one set of footprints.
I just don't understand why,
when I needed You most,
You leave me."
He whispered,
"My precious child, I love you and will never leave you
never, ever, during your trials and testings.
When you saw only one set of footprints,
It was then that I carried you." "
Now,
Reflect on your life. Think of a moment where you were going through something hard and just felt alone. Maybe it was a bad break up, losing a family member, or even going through a mental illness. Maybe the moment you are thinking about isn't in the past, but still occurring right now. I want you to know that although life seems tough, and that there doesn't seem to be an end to this struggle you are going through, that you are not going through this alone. I believe, actually... I KNOW that there is a God who loves you. He is aware of you and your life, and He truly does carry you when you are in need of being carried. Life can be difficult, bottom line sometimes it just SUCKS! But it is always important to remember that when we are going through trials in our lives, that the reason we feel so alone is because that is exactly what Satan wants us to believe. He wants you to believe that God does not care or even in some situations that God is "punishing you". I love this poem for so many different reasons. One, because it shows that throughout the hard times in this author's life, he noticed that he was never alone. I also love that he was not angry with the Lord, and didn't give up on Him, but he simply communicated that he noticed only seeing one set of footprints. Because of that communication with the Lord, he realized that he was not alone, but actually being carried by Someone who loved him as His own son. If he had never used that communication, then he would have continued his life assuming the Lord was not there.
There have been many times in my life where I decided to be angry with God and even gave up on turning to Him because I truly believed that He gave up on me. I can promise you that the second I changed my perspective and communicated with my Father in Heaven, expressing to Him how I was feeling, that although the trial and journey I was going through was TOUGH, I noticed that I was becoming stronger and stronger each day. I truly believe that when we are struggling, it is important to remain faithful and humble. That is a part of our test in life here on Earth. It is important to understand that the more bitter and angry we become with God because of our situation, the more satisfaction that we are actually giving to the Adversary. It is during those times that we feel alone, and allow ourselves to believe that our God has left us when we needed Him the most. Do not give the Adversary the credit that He does not deserve.
I want to express to you how LOVED that I know that we ALL are by our powerful, almighty, perfect God. He is always aware of what you are going through and He will be there with you through every step of the way. It is my strongest hope that we all remember that we are wanted, cared for, loved, and protected by such a powerful Father. As we remember Him always, even in our toughest trials, may we will find relief knowing that we can always say "I will never be alone."
