A Different Kind of Footprint

I got this from a friend (Okay, I took it from his Facebook). Like many of you, one of my favorite poems of all time is “Footprints”. I think that’s really the way it is. Jesus carries us in those times when we feel like we simply cannot go on. However, I also think it is one of the most overused poems of all time. When we’re going through difficult times and circumstances, it can be kind of hard to feel or even envision God carrying us. Well-meaning Christians throw this around like spiritual Prozac; “Remember, when you go through trials, it means God is carrying you.”

And, if we’re being honest; it implies that we’re always walking right beside the Lord, going the way he wants us to go; that the only work God really has to do is get us through life’s troubles. I’m not sure there’s a lot of theological accuracy in that viewpoint. While the above picture is a comic, I think it’s probably very true as well that God is sometimes dragging us.

The Spirit is pretty good about getting us where he wants us. Sometimes it’s gentle maneuvering. Sometimes it’s a shift in our wants and desires. Sometimes it’s being dragged.

Those of us who have kids: think about it like this. You’re heading in a specific direction with a specific time frame. You’ve got a goal in mind. The problem is that you’ve got the kids with you. They want to stop and look at everything along the way. That’s not always a problem, but sometimes it is. And we end up kind of dragging our kids along in order to get done what we need to have happen. I’m quite sure that’s how it can be with us and God.

Our family has been through a lot over the past couple years. And while I’d love to believe that Jesus was carrying us, I wonder if he wasn’t more dragging us. We knew we were called to something, but we thought it was something far different. Southeast Asia was not on our radar. And yet, here we are, preparing for a missionary journey to the literal other side of the globe. Was God carrying us through difficulties or dragging us along to get us where he wants us?

There can be a lot of whining and complaining when we drag our kids, especially if they don’t know where they’re being dragged to. But usually, once they get there they end up enjoying it and seeing the value in it. We had no idea where the Holy Spirit was leading us, and yet here we are excited beyond belief at the privilege we have before us. Partnering with Christ and taking the Good News where it’s never been heard before.

When we die, we need to look for the footprints. They’re the difficult times, the times Jesus carried us. But maybe we need to look for the ruts too, the times we were dragged. They might just lead to something good.