By the Way: We don’t always see His prints, but they are there

By Darlene Cahill on January 25, 2020.

I am visiting my parents and sitting in their cabin, deep in the woods of Central Newfoundland. Earlier today, my dad and I powered around on the ski-doo to enjoy the beautiful scenery that surrounded us. We stopped at a high point so I could take a few panoramic pictures; I would love for you to see the vastness of that land! As we toured around, besides seeing all the trees, other recreational vehicles, and cabins, there was an abnormal amount of animal tracks atop the fresh snow. We saw so many prints indicating who are sharing the forest: rabbit, fox, weasel, caribou, moose and a few others that we could not identify. Their paws and hooves left trails zigzagging through the bush. A few paths showed how some stopped to nibble on young, tender twigs. Their widened gait was showing their speed and larger patterns in the beaten-down snow giving evidence to their periods of rest. They were there!

As we continued on this esplanade, I thought how true this picture is for us – God’s beloved. We all have journeyed many trails in our lives, haven’t we? Most of our paths crisscross, showing our lives as very non-linear. We meet up with others along the way, and the trenches become an assortment of widths and depths as we expedite the Earth’s compass. Some paths become narrow, and others almost instantaneously gape by the amounts of people whom we travel alongside. But they leave a template as we put one foot in front of the other, often for others to see and discover. We were there. We are there.

Jesus walked many roads, too. His disciples, those I imagine the closest to Him, made many treks with Jesus. Their routes often meant talking and meeting up with others along The Way – in their course of direction. When we look through the Bible, God’s story for us to know and respond, we read how Jesus healed, prayed, fed, taught, and ministered to people along His earthly traverses; we can course out the paths He took, too. He was there! Jesus’ transients on Earth were walked solo and also with others. And today? He walks with us, always with you and me. Yet, His footprints are not accurately imprinted in the mud before us, nor can we see them in the freshly fallen snow. Still, He is guiding our steps, never leaving or forsaking us. Whether our strides in life are fast, comfortable, leisurely, or sluggish, laboured, dragging along-He is welcoming the same invite to knowing Him and His companionship. He is there!

We don’t always catch Jesus’ prints next to ours, but those around us might. I like to imagine that all those impressions I caught glimpses of in the snow this morning were a beautiful canvas of how Jesus tethers with us in all our convergences, no matter how we trot. He was there; He is here! By the way, it’s the most magnificent, panoramic beauty to behold.

Darlene Cahill is associate pastor at Glenview Nazarene Church.

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