4/8 by Frances Mencia

“I follow Jesus – The End. How does that sound?” I asked my teenaged daughter when I was describing what Lee had asked me to write about.

“That’s great, mom; A+ for you. Way to take this seriously.”  She’s right (teenagers are right more often than they get credit for). With so many things going on in life, it is hard to slow down and really think about what it means to follow Jesus. I mean, I am not a deep thinker and being asked to write something alongside many of the great deep thinkers of our church is intimidating. Also, if I do think deeply, am I going to like the answers I find? With the many challenges I have faced this past year, have I followed Jesus in the way He commands, or have I doubted?

Feeling inadequate when quoting scripture – I always feel I am quoting out of context - there has always been a poem I reference since I was a teenager. The final passage echoing through my thoughts whenever I am in times of trouble:

Footprints in the Sand (adapted):

One night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord.

Many scenes from my life flash across the sky. In each scene I noticed footprints in the sand. Sometimes there were two set of footprints, other times there was only one.

This bothered me because I noticed that during the low periods of my life, when I was suffering from anguish, sorrow or defeat, I could only see one set of footprints,

So I said to the Lord,

"you promised me Lord
That if I followed you, you would walk with my always. But I have noticed that during the most trying Periods of my life there has only been one set of footprints in the sand.

Why, have when I needed you the most, have you not been there for me"

The Lord replied,

" the year when you have seen one set of footprints, my child, Is when I carried you.”