Saturday, 17 March 2018

Lent reflections 5 - Footsteps


Direct my footsteps by your promise, and do not let any kind of iniquity rule over me.


As we each find our own ways to mark the season of Lent, we follow in the footsteps of centuries of others who have spent time preparing to celebrate the resurrection of Christ.

Footsteps can be slow and meandering, or fast paced, but we all leave them wherever we go. There are often discussions about our carbon footprint - the amount of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere as a result of our activities. But what about our spiritual footprint? All our words or actions will affect someone or something in one way or another. By practising environmental spirituality we can leave a better legacy for God's creation, just one example is the effect discarded plastic is having on our oceans. 

We are channels of God's blessings in a world that can be compassionate and more environmentally friendly because of our spiritual footprints.


Footprints in the Sand by Mary Fishback Powers


One night I dreamed a dream.
As I was walking along the beach with my Lord.
Across the dark sky flashed scenes from my life.
For each scene, I noticed two sets of footprints in the sand,
One belonging to me and one to my Lord.

After the last scene of my life flashed before me,
I looked back at the footprints in the sand.
I noticed that at many times along the path of my life,
especially at the very lowest and saddest times,
there was only one set of footprints.
This really troubled me, so I asked the Lord about it.
"Lord, you said once I decided to follow you,
You'd walk with me all the way.
But I noticed that during the saddest and most troublesome times of my life,
there was only one set of footprints.
I don't understand why, when I needed You the most, You would leave me."
He whispered, "My precious child, I love you and will never leave you
Never, ever, during your trials and testings.
When you saw only one set of footprints,
It was then that I carried you."                                              

Karen Ette

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