Footsteps
Recently I have been frequently reminded of the parable of the footsteps in the sand. The story of the man who was walking down the beach with God and he noticed that during good times there were two sets of foot prints behind them, but when things got difficult and emotionally draining there was only one set of footprints behind him. He asked God why he had deserted him in times of trouble. God answered that at those times, when things were so hard; it was then that God carried him. I was reminded of times in my life when the world seemed to be falling apart and I had nowhere to reach for help. I remembered how alone I felt and often even desperate and desolate. Those were certainly times that if I had looked behind me there would have been only one set of footprints, but I never thought to look, to be reminded that I was being carried. The love and compassion of the Infinite is intangible, we can’t see it, we can’t touch it and we can’t smell it but we can feel it if we try. When things are really going badly for us we don’t usually take the time to quiet ourselves to feel it, and so, we feel totally alone and deserted. This story reminds us that at those times we are carried through the darkness and we do survive, because the Infinite Spirit has carried us through even though we haven’t recognized it or acknowledged it. As I look back on some of the fiascos I have manifested in my life it is a wonder that I managed to survive and come out of them with my life and sense of humor still intact. If it hadn’t been for the strength of the Infinite I would never have survived half of the messes I have managed to get myself into. Often we wonder why the Infinite causes things to go wrong on our lives, I hear a lot of, “I didn’t deserve this,” or “Why would a loving God let things happen like this?” We must remember that God/The Infinite Spirit created us and gave us free will. On some level we cause all things that come our way to manifest within our realities because of our choices. The Infinite Spirit, out of unconditional love, carries us through in spite of the dilemmas we have caused. We’re here to learn and evolve; often our lessons involve making mistakes and learning to deal with the consequences. There is an old wives saying that if when raising children you over protect them they will never learn to cope with reality when they are on their own. Difficulties are lessons and if we don’t deal with them they just keep coming back at us with greater intensities until we have gathered what it is we need for our own evolution. If God/The Infinite Spirit prevented us from ever experiencing difficulties we would never grow or evolve. Yet in spite of the situations we draw to ourselves, the difficult lessons we draw into our realities, there is a loving, compassionate God who will always carry us through those times so gently we don’t even recognize the unconditional love that has carried us. Unconditional love, with no strings, no expectations. No need of recognition or credit. Just because we are loved, we survive to grow another day.
We are never alone; we are always embraced by the unconditional love of the Infinite. At times of difficulty, fear and anger often our perceptions are clouded and make it impossible to know and have faith in that unconditional love of the Infinite that is always there. This is school on a huge level. Our spirits are evolving because of the lessons we are drawing to ourselves. Some are more ambitious than others; some really test the strength of the Infinite. We survive, and we do so because of the unconditional love of the Infinite. At times, life does get complicated and often painful … at those times visualize those footsteps and know that you are being carried through the darkness you have manifested. Will you have to deal with it all? Absolutely. Mother Teresa had a saying she was famous for, she said “I know God never gives me more than I can handle, I just wish he didn’t have such great confidence in me.” We create our lessons, we draw them to us and when we are physically and emotionally overwhelmed by them God carries us through them, and even lets us take the credit. You don’t even need to have faith, though it couldn’t hurt, the love is unconditional and is and will always be there. We will draw wisdom and learn, we will evolve and flower according to the plan we put into place before this incarnation. We are never alone. All we need do is quiet ourselves, let go of anger and fear and welcome the embrace of the unconditional love of the Infinite. Easy to say, far harder to do, but then if it were easy it wouldn’t seem so very precious when we achieve it. Remember the parable of the footsteps and recognize those times in your life when there were two sets and those when there was only one. Recognize that though things may get difficult and maybe even very uncomfortable the steps never falter and you will survive … to create even greater challenges for your own evolution. We are never alone and once you accept that there is another walking with you, the journey becomes far more pleasurable.