Surrendering .. letting go

There have been many moments over the past week or so where I have felt like I had reached the end of my rope .... clinging on so tightly it was like I could no longer hang on. Then this image of one set of footprints in the sand came into my heart. I needed to surrender ... to let go ... and to fall into the arms and the love of God and of my family and friends and my furry 4-legged angels.

I've struggled with significant health issues over the past year and this past week received more bad news. I'm working on reframing "bad" to simply, more news ... not good and not bad. I am working on truly letting go and surrendering myself into the arms of God. Today, I feel moved to share the Footprints in the Sand poem:

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Last night I had a dream. I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord. Across the sky flashed scenes from my life. For each scene, I noticed two sets of footprints in the sand: one belonged to me, the other to the Lord. 

After the last scene of my life flashed before me, I looked back at the footprints in the sand. I noticed that at many times along the path of my life, especially at the very lowest and saddest times, there was only one set of footprints.

This really troubled me, so I asked the Lord about it.  “Lord, you said once I decided to follow you, You’d walk with me all the way. But I noticed that during the saddest and most troublesome times of my life, there was only one set of footprints. I don’t understand why, when I needed You the most, You would leave me.”

The Lord replied, “My son, my precious child, I love you and I would never leave you. During your times of suffering, when you could see only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you.”