Footprints in the Sand

It had always puzzled me. The footprints . . .


In 1936 Mary Stevenson penned the wildly famous all-time-greatest-poetry-single, "Footprints in the Sand." Since that time her compelling words have been cannonized into bookmarks, inspirational posters, coffee mugs, T-shirts--all the usually places you look for Holy Writ.

Revelation came in the form of an email this morning, the forwarded wisdom recorded by one from another, passing between e-mailboxes until it came to me. (The standard method for disseminating powerful truths.)

To quote:

The bishop said that during Jesus' time, when a sheep made a habit out of running away the shepherd did indeed go after it, but when he found it . . . he would break the sheep's leg.
"This is what Jesus does to us," the bishop said. "Then he oh so tenderly sets the leg."
That's why you see all those pictures of the shepherd walking around with a sheep slung over his neck. The shepherd broke the sheep's leg . . . and therefore the sheep is now completely reliant on the shepherd. They grow very close this way.

It is in that light I would propose a minor addition to Mary's poem to explicitly express this powerful doctrine.

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 was one only.

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 has only been one set of footprints in the sand. Why, when I needed you most, have you not been there for me?"

The Lord replied, "The years when you have seen only one set of footprints, my child, is when I [SNAPPED YOUR LEG LIKE A TWIG, SLUNG YOU SCREAMING OVER MY SHOULDER, AND] carried you.