Sand in the Footprints

Sand in the Footprints

Hebrews 11:1-6; 13:5-6. Genesis 5:24; 6:9

One night our neighbor was robbed. A thief had pried open his shed door and stolen a toolbox. The next day, with many people milling around and talking excitedly, one man stood out. He was on a path beside the garage, alone, kneeling, with a green leaf in his hand. He took some sandy dirt in his hand, placed it in the leaf, and rolled it into a ball. He quickly placed the green ball in his pocket and left the scene. As part of a missionary community living in West Africa, we saw many new and strange things. The rest of this story shows how a different culture deals with one of life’s challenges:

Later that day, when asked about this mysterious man, our neighbor explained: “Oh that man? We hire him to find criminals. He has power. He can take sand from the thief’s footprint and discover who he is!” Wow—did that bring up more questions! But it also brings to mind an old story from our culture titled “Footprints in the Sand.” In short, it goes something like this:

A woman had a dream that she could see the footprints of her life’s journey. Most of the time she could see a second set of footprints beside hers. Sadly, on some rough, steep places, she saw only one set of footprints.

“Why, Lord,” she asked, “did you walk beside me on the smooth paths, but in those difficult times made me walk alone?”

“You did not walk alone,” replied the Lord. “It was during those tough times that I carried you.”

“…God has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’ ” (Hebrews 13:5,6.)

“Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his time; Noah walked with God.” (Genesis 6:9.)

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What do you think it means to walk with God? ______________________________

When have you felt like you were walking alone, abandoned by God? _______________________________________________________________________________

Using the answer to the previous question, can you thank God for carrying you through that difficult time? _______________________________________________________________________________

Note: This was a devotional I submitted to the Keys for Kids teen devo, Unlocked, which was not accepted. The ones that have been accepted are now owned by Unlocked, so I cannot copy and paste them here. However, you can read one of mine on their website by clicking here.