Footprints

by Pocahontas♥ at 11/18/09 1:03AM *
Imagine a father and son walking across a snowy lawn. The father walks first. His boots sink four or five inches into the snow, leaving a clear left/right pattern. The son follows, leaping from footprint to footprint, trying to land exactly the same place his father landed — partly because he assumes those must be the appropriate places to step since that’s what Dad did, partly because it’s just cool. The father looks back with pride at his son’s effort, noticing how imperfectly his behavior was being mimicked, but knowing the boy is doing his best and will do better as he grows.

And then his expression fades from pride to concern. He realizes that his boy will not want to imitate him every day — that the day will come when he will intentionally go in his own path, a path not approved by his father. The son may in fact choose to go in an entirely different direction than the one the father chose.

And then his concern transforms into determination. No, he will not be able to make his son’s decisions for him for the rest of his life. But he can certainly influence them, especially while the child is young. Perhaps by doing so, he can build in the child a love of the right path, as well as a healthy fear of the wrong one.

And then, as he realizes that is exactly what he is doing, and that it is working, the pride returns. He takes the boy in his arms, shows him how great he did stepping in the footprints, and tells him how much he loves him.

May God give us the grace and courage we need to more perfectly walk in Jesus’ steps (1 Peter 2:21).