BUTT PRINTS IN THE SAND

apollochil

One night I had a wondrous dream,
One set of footprints there was seen,
The footprints of my precious Lord,
but mine were not along the shore.
But then some stranger prints appeared,
And I asked the Lord,
"What have we here?"
Those prints are large and round and neat,
but Lord, they are too big for yours or my feet.
My child, He said in somber tone,
For miles I carried you alone.
I challenged you to walk in faith,
But you refused and made me wait.
You disobeyed, you would not grow,
The walk of faith, you would not know.
So I got tired, I got fed up,
And there I dropped you, on your butt.
Because in life, there comes a time,
When one must fight and one must climb.
When one must rise and one must stand,
Or leave their butt prints in the sand.

~Author Unknown~

apollochil

NO FOOTPRINTS

I've listened to the "footprints" poem
a million times or more.
Of how when only one set shows
upon the sandy shore.
It is the Lord carrying us
and taking on our load.
And His are the only set
of footprints that showed.

oooO
(   )
\ (
  \_)
But what if when we look
there are no footprints to be found?
All we see is plain and simple
sand upon the ground.
No imprints showing that our Lord
is carrying us through life.
Helping us when we feel
we cannot handle all this strife.
oooO
(   )
\ (
  \_)
Where is my Lord now that I've fallen
and can't seem to get back up?
So tired and lonely trying to deal
with what seems an overflowing cup.
Where are those footprints in the sand
to tell me He's right there?
Helping me with problems and
showing that He really does care.
oooO
(   )
\ (
  \_)
Does He have favorites, OH NO,
please tell me that's not so!
By why does life seem easier
for some people that I know?
And sometimes I just scream out loud
although it seems in vain,
But often it gets harder each day
to deal with all this pain.
oooO
(   )
\ (
  \_)
And then it dawned on me as I realize
how simple could it be.
I wonder why I was so blind
that I truly did not see.
It must have been a lightning bolt
that one day gave me light,
Cause out of the clear blue sky,
I finally regained my sight.
oooO
(   )
\ (
  \_)
I saw a fluffy white cloud
shaped like an Angel dear.
That helped me to understand
and see things oh so clear,
That when I saw no footprints
and so often wondered why,
My Lord carried me on Angel wings,
when He decided to fly.

~Author Unknown~

apollochil

THE NEW FOOTPRINTS

Now imagine you and the Lord Jesus are walking along the beach together. For much of the way the Lord's footprints go along steadily, consistently, rarely varying in the pace.

But your prints are in a disorganized stream of zig zags, starts, stops, turnarounds, circles, departures, and returns. For much of the way it seems to go like this. But gradually, your footprints come 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 the Master's are now walking precisely in His steps. Inside His large footprints is the smaller "sandprint," safely enclosed. You and Jesus are becoming one; this goes on for many miles.

But gradually you notice another change. The footprints inside the larger footprints seem to grow larger. Eventually it disappears altogether. There is only one set of footprints. They have become one; again this goes on for a long time.

But then something awful happens. The second set of footprints is back. This time it seems even worse than before. Zig zags all over the place. Stop...start. Deep gashes in the sand. A veritable mess of prints.

You're amazed and shocked. But this is the end of your dream. Now you speak:

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

"That is correct," replied the Lord. "Then, when the smaller footprints were inside of Yours, I was actually learning to walk in Your steps. I followed You very closely."

"Very good. You have understood everything so far." "Then the smaller footprints grew and eventually filled in with yours. I suppose that I was actually growing so much that I was becoming more like You in every way."

Precisely." "But this is my question, Lord. Was there a regression of something? The footprints went back to two, and this time it was worse than the first."

The Lord smiles, then laughs. "You didn't know?" He says. "That was when we danced."

FOR HE WILL TURN YOUR MOURNING INTO DANCING!!!

~Author Unknown~

apollochil

QUOTES

"Many people will walk in and out of your life,
but only true friends will leave footprints in your heart."
~Author Unknown~

"Some people come into our lives and quickly go...
Some stay and make footprints on our hearts...
And we are never, never the same."
~Author Unknown~

"FOOTPRINTS IN THE SANDS OF TIME
ARE NEVER MADE BY SITTING DOWN."

~Author Unknown~

"If you believe you can love without feeling pain,
then you must believe that you can run
through the snow without leaving footprints."