Footprints - Not what you think

First of all, Happy Mother's Day to all you moms, mother-in-laws and mothers-to-be out there. God has placed an awesome gift in your care ... be careful with it!

Last weekend Josh, who will be 16 in June, attended Heart of Suncoast Chrysalis Boys Flight #16. I took him up Saturday morning to get him registered, leaving him in the care of the weekend Lay Director along with 10 other caterpillars. As a mom, aren't we always apprehensive about leaving our kids alone, even when we know they will be safe - at least physically.

But what about spiritually? Sometimes - actually alot of times - we can't be sure they'll be spiritually safe. We do our best to know their friends and their families. However, we never can be sure that they are totally safe from harm. Sometimes they have to experience (or re-experience) pain and sorrow to grow. After all, how can there be a testimony if there is no test, right? But as a mom, we try to shelter our kids from that pain. We'd rather they not hear about it, see it or experience it until it's absolutely necessary or totally unavoidable. That is when we have to depend upon Christ to lead them down the right paths - or maybe it's leading US down the right path?

When Josh was just 12, I took him with me on a mission trip to the Dominican Republic. We didn't go out and work with the people then retire to a nice comfy hotel with A/C, running water and "tourist food" each evening. No, we stayed at the orphanage with the children. We slept on cots infested with bed bugs, no running water, no electricity. No phones and no televisions. Just a rustic basketball court with hoops at each end and a big open field to run and play in. As we drove from the Santo Domingo airport out to San Cristobal, we passed piles of garbage on the sides of the streets, families of five sandwiched onto motor scooters made for one, "homes" made out of cardboard and corrugated tin roofs on mountainsides that looked like they could just slide away at a moment's notice. Livestock running loose thru streets and roadside shanties that had goats and all manner of fowl (plus some stuff that was unidentifiable to me) hanging on ropes for sale. I suddenly had this wave of urgency come over me - had I just brought my son into the middle of a National Geographic magazine?

Yes, I had. But I had also just exposed him to life as a majority of this planet knows it. We are so blessed in the US and we don't even know it! We take for granted that tap water that is ALWAYS there when we turn on a faucet. Or that refrigerator/freezer that we keep our food in that we purchase at sanitary grocery stores. Or that light bulb that always burns bright when we flip a switch to read any book that is readily available to us online, at the store or at your neighborhood library. How about that comfy pillow and bed you retire to every evening?

These kids had no idea what they were "missing", yet they were happy. And not only happy ... they were full of God's joy, love and grace. How shocked were we when we realized that we were not the ministers ... these kids were very powerful ministers teaching us life stories about the simple and most important things in life! What a humbling experience! And best of all, that trip and the one the following year that we made back to that orphanage remains in Josh's heart permanently.

Many times we have walked into a grocery store to be greeted by the aroma of fried chicken. "Mom," he tells me, "every time I smell fried chicken now I automatically think of the DR and the kids. That was the best fried chicken I've ever had. I wonder how they are doing?" We continue to remember these precious faces in our prayers and I know Josh is a much more humble, caring young man because of this experience. I also know - for sure - that he walks with his Maker closer and closer as he matures in life and in his faith.

This little poem was sent to me and it made me think of the story I just told you. I hope you enjoy!

Imagine you and the Lord Jesus are walking down the road together. For much of the way, the Lord's footprints go along steadily, consistently, rarely varying the pace. But your footprints are a disorganized stream of zigzags, starts, stops, turnarounds, circles, departures, and returns. For much of the way, it seems to go like this, but gradually your footprints come more in line with the Lord's, soon paralleling, His consistently. You and Jesus are walking as true friends! This seems perfect, but then an interesting thing happens: Your footprints that once etched the sand next to Jesus' are now walking precisely in His steps. Inside His larger footprints are your smaller ones, you and Jesus are becoming one. This goes on for many miles, but gradually you notice another change. The footprints inside the large footprints seem to grow larger. Eventually they disappear altogether. There is only one set of footprints. They have become one. This goes on for a long time, but suddenly the second set of footprints is back. This time it seems even worse! Zigzags all over the place. Stops. Starts. Gashes in the sand. A variable mess of prints.You are amazed and shocked. Your dream ends. Now you pray:

"Lord, I understand the first scene, with zigzags and fits. I was a new Christian; I was just learning. But You walked on through the storm and helped me learn to walk with You."

'That is correct.'

"And when the smaller footprints were inside of Yours, I was actually learning to walk in Your steps, following You very closely.."

'Very good.. You have understood everything so far..'

"When the smaller footprints grew and filled in Yours, I suppose that I was becoming like You in every way."

'Precisely.'

"So, Lord, was there a regression or something ? The footprints separated, and this time it was worse than at first."

There is a pause as the Lord answers, with a smile in His voice. 'You didn't know? It was then that we danced!'

I hope you take the time to dance! Lisa