Footprints

Margaret Fishback Powers

One night I dreamed a dream.
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.
When the last scene of my life shot before me
I looked back at the footprints in the sand
and to my surprise,
I noticed that many times along the path of my life
there was only one set of footprints.
I realized that this was at the lowest
and saddest times of my life.
This always bothered me
and I questioned the Lord
about my dilemma.
'Lord, you tole me when I decided to follow You,
You would walk and talk with me all the way.
But I'm aware that during the most troublesome
times of my life there is only one set of footprints.
I just don't understand why, when I needed You most,
You 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.'

Above is a very famous Christian poem by Mrs Margaret Fishback Powers. Ways of reading it will vary among people, but from Spiritual perspective, the point of the poem I believe is this: it is when you are facing difficulties and working hard to overcome them that you can be truly aware of the existence of God, or Great Spirit, and why you were born here on Earth. Through trials and tribulations, we learn most.  We are all children of God.

You will find the story about how the poem came to be recognized as her original work in her book, Footprints (Michigan: Zondervan, 1993/2002).