Footprints

Footprints

One night a man had a dream.  He dreamed he was walking along the beach with the Lord.  Across the sky flashed scenes from his life.  For each scene, he noticed two sets of footprints in the sand; one belonged to him, the other to the Lord.

When the last scene of his life flashed before him, he looked back at the footprints in the sand.  He noticed that many times along the path of his life there was only one set of footprints.  He also noticed that it happened at the very lowest and saddest times in his life.

This really bothered him and he questioned the Lord about it.  “Lord, you said that once I decided to follow you, you’d walk with me always, but I have noticed that during the darkest moments of my life there were only one set of footprints in the sand.  Why Lord, would you abandon me when I needed you most?”

The Lord replied, “My precious child, I love you more than anything and would never abandon you.  During your time of trial and suffering, when you see only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you.”

-Anonymous

Peace,

Deacon Don

Gone From My Sight

  

I am standing upon the seashore.  A ship at my side spreads her white sails to the morning breeze and heads out onto the blue ocean.  She is an object of beauty and strength.  I stand and watch her until at length she hangs like a speck of white cloud just where the sea and sky come to mingle with each other.

Then someone says: ”There, she is gone!”

“Gone where, I ask?”

Gone from my sight.  That is all.  She is just as large in mast and hull and spar as she was when she left my side, and she is just as able to bear her load of living freight to her destined port.  Her diminished size is in me, not in her.

And just at the moment when someone is saying, “There, she is gone!” there are other eyes watching her coming and other voices taking up the glad shout: “Here she comes!”

And that is dying.        - Anonymous

Peace,

Deacon Don