'Footprints in the sand' is a well-known and often quoted piece of prose about a man who dreamed about the various scenes in his life portrayed alongside a set of sand footprints. He was perplexed when he noticed that during his toughest seasons there was only one set of prints visible. He then felt that God spoke to him and reassured him that it was at those times he had been carrying him, causing only one set of marks.
I know that the story of footprints has become hackneyed and is over-used, almost trite, but when I took the shot above in Alderney this week, it came back to me in a very strong way. I was walking on Braye Beach in the morning at low tide, and just chatting with the Lord as I often do. My path in life has been tough at times, and as I saw these prints I felt again the nudge of God's Spirit reassuring me that he has always been there, even when I had felt him most absent.
The fresh beauty of that isolated beach with a strong, sea breeze at my back, and the sand sticking to my sandals like snow, reminded me that God does not promise that our path will always be easy, or that we will not be in pain, sometimes severe pain, but the assurance in my heart that day was that in all these situations, he knows, he loves and he cares.
If you are in one of those seasons where you feel that you are trudging alone through hard unyielding circumstances, know that there is one who cares for you too, and if you will invite him, waits to make his path your way also.
