Footprints In Your Heart

“When a person’s steps follow the Lord, God is pleased with his ways. If he stumbles, he will not fall, because the Lord holds his hand.” Psalm 37:23-24

I officiated at my cousin, Norma’s funeral this past week. Norma loved Jesus, her family, baking pies and cookies, sports, quilting and had a joy and love for life. Her favorite poem was “Footprints in the Sand.” The poem is about a man who had a dream that he was walking along the beach. He saw scenes from his life and many times there were two sets of footprints where the Lord walked with him. At other times, only one set of footprints were visible. These were the lowest and saddest times of his life. He asked the Lord about this, and the Lord replied that these were the times He carried him. My cousin, Norma, knew that God had carried her also through the saddest and hardest times of her life. She was a widow for twenty-three years and experienced the death of parents, brothers, extended family and friends. Norma knew God was with her throughout all of life, and she made a difference in the lives of her children, grandchildren, family and friends. Norma left an imprint of love in our hearts.

I have been reflecting on the footprint people have left in my life. A footprint is something that you can see only when you look back. You cannot see your own footprint until you take a step forward and then look backward. We rarely see the impact and difference a person has made on our life until they are gone. It is then that we take the time to reflect and begin to ponder the meaning of a person’s life. When I talk with families about their loved one after death, I ask them to describe their loved one and the difference the person made in their lives. I want to hear the legacy and what will continue to live on in them because of their loved one. We learn so much from others - how to bake, fix things, farm, create, music, love for creation, how to live and how to love Jesus.

As we grieve the loss of our loved one, we begin to recognize the holes in our daily life that our loved one once filled. The intensity of grief prevents us from seeing the footprint on our heart because the sorrow and loss clouds our view behind us. As we walk the journey and the clouds and fog begin to lift in our grief, we begin to reflect on who we are because of our loved one and the difference they made in our lives. The footprint of love is all around us. We loved and we were loved. The bond of love is what held us together. When we turn around and remember, the love flows all around us like the waves on the sand.

In my journey of grief, I have reflected on those who have walked beside me on this path of life. Their love and influence have made a difference in my life. They have supported me in the joys and sorrows of life during our time together, but when they die an emptiness of love and support is in my heart. In my deepest grief, I have come to understand the “Footprints in the Sand” poem to the fullest. As I have looked back, God is the one who has carried me, held my hand, and embraced me in the deep loneliness and emptiness of life. We experience God’s love to its fullest when God comes beside us and carries us in our sorrows and pains of this life.

Take the time to be still and reflect. God is with you right now in your lowest and saddest times as you grieve the loss of your loved one. You may not be able to see God’s presence or feel that He is carrying you, but trust that God is holding you close. Someday you will be able to look back and see the footprints in the sand and know God carried you and held you close until you were able to walk beside Him. Your heart will always contain the footprint of love because love never dies. Love is what sustains us. God is love. Love and God are always with us.