On to the next

I snapped this picture on a whim Tuesday morning when I took Matthew to the bus stop that morning. We had gathered some leaves for a school project on the way out to the bus stop so our feet were wet from the morning dew and we left footprints on the road. After Matthew got on the bus, I saw the footprints and took a picture, preserving them forever in a little jpeg file.


I thought about this picture the rest of the day cuz I’m deep and philosophical like that. In the concrete, this is a mere photo of some wet spots left by shoes touching the pavement. In the abstract, this photo speaks volumes. I'd venture to say a hundred sermons could be written about this photo. After all, look at the infamous “Footprints in the Sand” poem. How many of us have quoted the sentiments in that poem for years upon years.

My thoughts about this photo go something like this: I see my prints along side of my son’s prints and realize how fleeting this life really is. Here we are at this point in time, walking along the road of life together but when the moisture dries, there isn’t even a hint that we’d been there. But for now, here we are, on this journey, together. That’s all we’re guaranteed. The now. The present. Treasure it. Cherish it. Leave big sloppy wet footprints in this life. Because when the moisture dries folks, it’s on to the next.

And really that’s where the Good News for Christians comes in… because we know, we are promised, there is a Next and the Next is so much better than the now!