You Are Carried
When I was a little girl, I remember my parents having a specific poem hanging on their bedroom wall. As a little girl, it didn’t mean much to me, but as I got older, I began to understand what it meant. I found myself going in there to read it more and more.
Now that I am an adult, this poem still wrecks my heart and floods back memories of that little girl staring at her parents’ wall, envisioning God’s character. Some may find this poem cheesy, but I believe it gives a great representation of how loved you truly are. You may know this poem, or you may not. It’s called Footprints in the Sand.
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. In each scene, he noticed two sets of footprints in the sand; one belonged to him, and 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 all the way. But I have noticed that during the most troublesome times in my life, there is only one set of footprints. I don’t understand why, when I needed you the most, you would leave me.
The Lord replied, “My precious, precious child, I love you, and I would never leave you. During your times of trial and suffering, when you see only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you.”
Several years ago, I was walking on the beach by myself to clear my head and deal with frustrations I was going through at that time. I remember parking and walking down to the shore, excited to be near the salt water. (I grew up on salt water, so it is pretty much running through my veins at this point!)
As I was walking, I looked up and saw one set of footprints. Now, where I was on the beach was not a super common location. In fact, there was nobody else around me. As I continued my walk down the beach, about 30 feet later, another set of footprints appeared next to the original ones I saw. Again, nobody was around, and even if they were, it was hard to imagine how one set of footprints turned into two sets out of nowhere.
Instantly, God reminded me of the Footprints in the Sand poem. The specific quote that came to mind was, “It was then that I carried you.” Right then, my frustrations got put to ease, and I was filled with a peace that was so comforting to my troubled soul.
All those moments as a little girl, reading that poem over and over, impacted me into my adulthood. Now, I can walk with confidence, knowing that when I am struggling or in a deep valley, I will be carried by my Savior, Jesus Christ.
I pray that you can receive this Good News today and know that you, too, will be carried. You are never alone, and you are so deeply loved by Our Heavenly Father.
Journal Prompt:
Do you ever question God’s presence in your life? Do you feel as if He has abandoned you in some of your hardest moments? What truth can you lean on today?
Ref: Deuteronomy 1:31, 31:8
