I would guess that many of you know the religious poem, “Footprints in the Sand.” A person observes along the journey of life two sets of footprints in the sand, their own and those of Jesus walking side-by-side with them. They notice that at times there is only one set of footprints.
They ask Jesus why and he says, “Those were the times I carried you.” It’s a nice poem.
But recently I came across an updated version. There were the two tracks, then the one, and then a sporadic array of footprints in random circles.
The person says to Jesus, “I understand the two sets, and I’ve learned about the times you carried me, but what is this array of footprints?” And Jesus said, “Those were the times we danced.”
When I first heard this I almost certainly rolled my eyes and snickered. Cheesy, I thought. Sweet, I suppose. But maybe I’m too jaded. Isn’t the initial poem heartfelt enough? Do we really need the bit about dancing with Jesus on the beach? Really?
You often hear the language of people have a “relationship” with Jesus. What that likely means in real time is that each of us has a collective ongoing imagination about who Jesus is, what he cares about, and how he interacts with our own set of values.
It’s based on how the scripture was presented to us in our formative years. It’s shaped by the culture’s view of Jesus, our life events, and clarified by the work of the Holy Spirit as interpreter.
It is an ever-growing exchange of intellect, emotions and how we imagine Jesus. And if it does what I think it is supposed to do, it informs every aspect of our lives. Spiritual formation for each of us is important.
It’s hurtful when we get it wrong, helpful when we get it right.
Which takes me back to the footprints in the sand. The two sets belong to Jesus and me. The one set is Jesus carrying me. And the sporadic circles? In my case it was likely Jesus chasing me down to smack me in the back of the head for saying something sarcastic.
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I would guess that many of you know the religious poem, “Footprints in the Sand.” A person observes along the journey of life two sets of footprints in the sand, their own and those of Jesus walking side-by-side with them. They notice that at times there is only one set of footprints.
They ask Jesus why and he says, “Those were the times I carried you.” It’s a nice poem.
But recently I came across an updated version. There were the two tracks, then the one, and then a sporadic array of footprints in random circles.
The person says to Jesus, “I understand the two sets, and I’ve learned about the times you carried me, but what is this array of footprints?” And Jesus said, “Those were the times we danced.”
When I first heard this I almost certainly rolled my eyes and snickered. Cheesy, I thought. Sweet, I suppose. But maybe I’m too jaded. Isn’t the initial poem heartfelt enough? Do we really need the bit about dancing with Jesus on the beach? Really?
You often hear the language of people have a “relationship” with Jesus. What that likely means in real time is that each of us has a collective ongoing imagination about who Jesus is, what he cares about, and how he interacts with our own set of values.
It’s based on how the scripture was presented to us in our formative years. It’s shaped by the culture’s view of Jesus, our life events, and clarified by the work of the Holy Spirit as interpreter.
It is an ever-growing exchange of intellect, emotions and how we imagine Jesus. And if it does what I think it is supposed to do, it informs every aspect of our lives. Spiritual formation for each of us is important.
It’s hurtful when we get it wrong, helpful when we get it right.
Which takes me back to the footprints in the sand. The two sets belong to Jesus and me. The one set is Jesus carrying me. And the sporadic circles? In my case it was likely Jesus chasing me down to smack me in the back of the head for saying something sarcastic.
