Take a look at your own footprints

One of the my favorite things about the recent snowstorm was watching my kids play.  My youngest is 6 years old and had never seen real snow, and she loved every minute of it. We have been doing all we can to take advantage of it, as it doesn’t snow much in our part of Oklahoma.   

More than once I told my daughter to walk in my footsteps, as the snow was deep and she’s not very tall.  The snow would have been over her boots in spots, and I did what I could to lead the way. But as she followed me she asked me “why do you walk so funny, Daddy?” 

I turned around to look, and you could clearly see my big boot prints in the snow. My right foot tends to turn outwards for some reason. I’ve known I walked that way for some time due to a knee injury and other issues, but the snow made it very easy to see just what kind of footprints I was leaving.  There was no mistaking those footprints for anyone else’s.  

As I watched my daughter walk in my steps I realized that she was following in more than my physical footsteps.  My children learn to live in the world by following my footsteps, by walking on the path that I walked before them. All three of my daughters are following in my footsteps in many ways, just like I have with my parents.  Many times we make an effort to go off the path and blaze our own trail, but for those blessed with godly parents or leaders we already have footprints to follow that will lead us towards God. 

We need to turn around and look at the foot prints that we are leaving for those behind us.  These are not physical footprints of course, but a lifetime of habits, patterns, and ways of living that serve as a trail to those behind us.  My foot prints with my wonky leg are pretty recognizable.  But without the snow I wouldn’t have been to see it as clearly.  It’s easy to walk along on our own path, never thinking about the foot prints we leave behind. But when we turn around and look we might be surprise to know that our children and others are following in our steps.

Since I knew my young daughter was following me, I made sure to walk in a safe place, away from danger, and in a way that would protect her.  In the same way I need to live my life in such a way that anyone who follows in my footsteps would stay close to God, be daily in the Bible, and connected to a local church.  

Someone is following in your footprints.  Make sure that they don’t fall in any drifts, step on the ice, or get in any other danger.  The footprints we leave behind are our legacy, and our children and others will follow in them.  Live in such a way that anyone who follows your footsteps will be led straight to the throne of Jesus.