Going Home

Tomorrow, I have the privilege to officiate a funeral for a family that attended our church several years ago. Although I have done so in the past, it is a different experience when you have never met the person. In circumstances such as this, it is important to get to know them as best you can. Through talking with the family, friends and church members, a picture is painted on who the person was, how they lived and what was important in their lives. It is, in fact, the footprints they have left behind while on their journey through this life.

The Bible speaks of walking with God and Jesus both in the physical and spiritual sense. One particular verse speaks of us following Him on our walk through this world. John 10:27 tells us, My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. Just as a Good Shepherd does, Jesus guides us through this life if we choose to follow Him. When we do, there are then two sets of footprints: ours and Jesus'.

A lady by the name of Mary Stevenson wrote a beautiful poem called Footprints in the Sand that illustrates this concept. It speaks of a dream where a person reflects on their life and sees sometimes two sets of footprints and then others time only one set. In despair and not (seemingly) seeing His footprints during the bad times, the person asked Jesus why He left. Lovingly and calmly, Jesus answered, "I promised I would never leave you and I never did. Those times you saw only one set of footprints were the times I carried you".

As I pray and prepare to journey with the family tomorrow to honor their loved ones and grieve with them for their loss, I smile and think of the footprints that were left by both him and Jesus as they traveled home...

Pastor Aaron