So, for years and years and years, for as long as I can remember we have the “Footsteps in the Sand” story on our bathroom wall. It has been there since I was very young and every time I walked into the bathroom, I knew it was there. For all those years and years, I thought that I knew the story and just assumed that I had read it before.
Well, one day I walked into the bathroom and looked up at the wall where it hung. I had accidentally dropped it a few minutes earlier and when I went to hang it back up, I actually looked at the words and started reading them. I read the whole story and was amazed. This story had been on my wall in a small picture frame for so many years and I had never taken the time to read it. I just assumed all my life that I already knew what it was about; when in reality I had never read or understood it, until that one day in the bathroom. For me, it definitely felt like one of those “God moments” if you will. I read the story and it just opened my eyes. The best part of this story is the very end. There is this man and his whole life there have two sets of footprints in the sand. His and God’s right next to his. His whole life, He has known that God has been right there with him. Then, when he reaches one of the hardest points in his life, he looks down and notices that there is only one set of footprints in the sand. So, he says, “God, I don’t understand why when I needed you most you would leave me.” So, then God replies to him, and says, “My son, my precious child, I love you and would never leave you. During your times of trial and suffering, when you only see one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you.” AMAZING! That’s all I could say after I read that. It just really made me feel so glad to read that.
One of my favorite books of all time that I would recommend to ANYONE is ‘The Shack’ by William P. Young. I know that the amount of criticism towards this book is huge, but from my experience reading it as only a young teenager, I can say that it’s a life-changing book. In the book, Mack (the protagonist) goes through the hardest point in his life when his youngest daughter, Missy is abducted and killed. Mack deals with a loss of hope, and a loss of faith through this. Years later, God (whom Mack calls, Papa) writes Mack a note and asks him to return to ‘The Shack’ where Missy’s clothes were found drenched in blood. After much thought, Mack returns to the Shack. The rest of the book talks about his encounter with God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. Of course, like anyone, Mack thought that God left him, during this time in his life. We all, as humans, believe that when we need God the most, He leaves us. But it’s not true. Just like the Footsteps story, and just like Mack in the Shack, when we are at our hardest, lowest points in life, God is there. Just like he is there every other moment in our lives. We tend to think that just because our lives are terrible, God is not there, but the truth is, He is. God is there when we feel like we don’t need Him, and God is there when we need Him most. He is not just there when we need Him, but He is there, carrying us through whatever situation.
If you ever look down and see just one set of footprints in the sand, never think that God left you, because he never would. When you see one set of footprints beneath you, you will always know that God is carrying you in His arms.
The bible says in Hebrews 13:5, “I will never leave you, nor forsake you.’ Says the Lord.”God made a promise in His word that He would never leave us. I know He never will. Even when it feels as though He has, we have to hold tight to our faith and know that he never will.
No comments:
Post a Comment