One night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord. Many scenes from my life flashed across the sky.
In each scene I noticed footprints in the sand. Sometimes there were two sets of footprints, other times there was one only.
This bothered me because I noticed that during the low periods of my life, when I was suffering from anguish, sorrow or defeat, I could see only one set of footprints, so I said to the Lord,
“You promised me Lord,
that if I followed you, you would walk with me always. But I have noticed that during the most trying periods of my life there has only been one set of footprints in the sand. Why, when I needed you most, have you not been there for me?”
The Lord replied, “The years when you have seen only one set of footprints, my child, is when I carried you.”
-Mary Stevenson
Five years ago tonight, I made a conscious decision to follow Christ. January 22nd 2010.
Some people, when they talk about their salvation experience describe a light-bulb moment, where suddenly they could see, suddenly they understood. Mine was similar, but it wasn’t an incandescent light bulb that suddenly illuminates.
Rather for me, it was more akin to one of those light bulbs that slowly brightens.
You see, I grew up in a Christian family, but I never made a full commitment to faith. I didn't really understand Christianity. I’m not going to go into detail here, but over the course of the six or seven months preceding that day, I slowly, slowly started to understand. Slowly, ever so slowly, the lights came on, I started to understand who God is and just how much He loves me.
Finally, that night I realized that the lights were bright enough that I could see. If you’ve ever been in a workshop with those kind of lights, you know that the moment when you realize you can see is not the very initial moment that you can see, but rather you realize that you’ve been able to see for a while, and now it’s time to act.
So I prayed. I didn’t know the “proper” prayer that people are supposed to make at times like this, so I made it up.
Five years… wow have they been crazy awesome years! I’ve been reflecting on them, and it humbles me to see the times that I was stupid enough to think that I was alone, when in reality God was right there.
That poem I shared, Footprints In The Sand, is so true. There are so many hard times that God has carried me through, and so many victories that God has celebrated with me.
So here is to five years gone, and an eternity to go.
