Monday, February 5, 2007

Footprints in the Sand

My Lord, God, I have no idea where I am going.I do not see the road ahead of me.I cannot know for certain where it will end.Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think I am following Your will does not mean that I am actually doing so.But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you,And I hope that I have that desire in all that I am doing.I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire.And I know that if I do this, You will lead me by the right road, though I may not know anything about it.Therefore, I will trust you always, though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death.I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my dangers alone.

Prayer of
St. Francis of Assisi
Lord make me an instrument of your peace,Where there is hatred let me sow love;Where there is injury, pardon;Where there is doubt, faith;Where there is despair, hope;Where there is darkness, light and Where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love;for it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

Footprints in the Sand
One night a man had a dream. He dreamed he was walking along the beach with the Lord. Across the sky flashed scenes from his life. For each scene he noticed two sets of footprints in the sand; one belonging to him and the other to the Lord.
When the last scene of his life flashed before him, he looked back at the footprints in the sand. He noticed that many times along the path of his life there was only one set of footprints. He also noticed that it happened at the very lowest and saddest times in his life.
This really bothered him and he questioned the Lord about it. "Lord, you said that once I decided to follow you, you’d walk with me all the way. But I have noticed that during the most troublesome times in my life, there is only one set of footprints. I don’t understand why when I needed you most you would leave me."
The Lord replied, "My precious, precious child, I love you and would never leave you. During your times of trial and suffering, when you see only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you."

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