I HAVE LIVED BY THIS SENTENCE BY DR. JOSEPH R. SIZOO

Footprints in the Sand

According to Dr. Joseph R. Sizoo, President of New Brunswick Theological Seminary, during the darkest moments of his life when everything seemed to be overwhelmed by forces beyond his control, he has lived by one important sentence. One morning, as he opened his New Testament, his eyes fell upon this sentence, "He that sent me is with me - the Father hath not left me alone" and his life was never the same since that moment. Everything for him has been forever different since then. Not a day has passed without him repeating that sentence to himself. Throughout the years, he has sent away countless people who went to see him for counseling with this sustaining sentence. Why did this sentence sound so important to him? Bevause he has walked with it and found his peace and strength in it. As what Dr. Sizoo says, "To me it is the very essence of religion. It lies at the rock bottom of everything that makes life worth living. It is the Golden Text of my life."

Dr. Sizoo's sustaining sentence reminded me of one of my bookmark with the poem entitled Footprints which I bought at Evangel during my schooldays. If Dr. Sizoo has lived by his sustaining sentence, I have lived by this sustaining poem. In this article, I would like to share my sustaining poem with my readers. Here it goes:

FOOTPRINTS

One night a man had a dream. 

He dreamed he was walking 

along the beach with the Lord. 

Across the sky flashed 

scenes from his life. 

For each scene, he noticed  

two sets of  footprints in the sand: 

one belonging to him, 

and the other to the Lord.

When the last scene of his life 

flashed before him, 

he looked back at the 

footprints in the sand. 

He noticed that many times 

along the path of his life 

there was only one set of footprints. 

He also noticed  that it happened 

at the very lowest

 and saddest times of his life.

This really bothered him and 

he questioned the Lord about it. 

"Lord, you said that once 

I decided to follow you, 

you'd walk with me all the way. 

But I have noticed that during the 

most troublesome times in my life, 

there is only one set of footprints. 

I don't understand why when 

I needed you most 

you would leave me.

The Lord replied, "My son, 

My precious child, I love you 

and would never leave you. 

During your times 

of trial and suffering, 

when you see 

only one set of footprints, 

it was then that I carried you.

                       - Author Unknown

This poem describes the protagonist's experience of walking along the beach with the Lord. There were two sets of footprints in the sand, one belonged to the protagonist and the other belonged to the Lord. As he looked back at his life, he saw that at some points, especially during the darkest moments of his life, only one set of footprints could be seen. When the protagonist asked the Lord why He abandoned him during the most hopeless moments of his life, He said to him, "It was then that I carried you."

What does this poem signify? The answer can be found in Deuteronomy 1:31 which states:

"And in the desert (as you have seen) the Lord, your God, carried you, as a man carried his child, all along the way until you came to this place." Like a father carrying his little child in his arms, God will lead you through obstacles and adversities to your destination. 

Another explanation of the poem can be found in Psalm 46:2-4:

"God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in distress. Thus we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains crumble into the heart of the sea; Though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake as the waters surge. The LORD Almighty is with us; The God of Jacob is our stronghold." So let us have confidence in God and submit ourselves to Him as He will watch over us, protect us and save us from dangers and despair. 

This poem clearly portrays our relationship with God. The message that the author is trying to convey to us is easily understandable. In a nutshell, the message is that God will never leave us alone as He is always there for us particularly during the most trying times when we need Him most. He will carry us when the burdens of life are too heavy for us to carry. So, let us not fear for the future since God is traveling with us on our journey of life. In Isaiah 43:2, God says, "When you pass through the water, I will be with you; when you pass through the rivers, you shall not drown. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be scorched; the flames will not consume you." No matter how hopeless or desperate your situation may be, always remember that God is with you. Have no fear because God says, "Do not fear, I am with you; do not be dismayed, I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand" (Isaiah 41:10). In Joshua 1:5, God promises, "I will be with you. I will never leave you nor forsake you." So, even if you have hit rock bottom, do not give up because He will be there to rescue you as He has promised that He will never leave you or forsake you.

As I look back at my life, I could see very clearly that God has been with me and guiding me all these years. The year that my mother passed away was also the year I sat for University of London's LL.B. Intermediate Examination for external students. When I had to refer my Criminal Law paper, I was totally devastated because I could not accept the fact that I failed that paper by 2 marks. Criminal Law was my favorite subject and if I could pass English Legal System and Constitutional Law, then why did I have to refer Criminal Law? It was like a bad joke to me because I had to give up my law studies temporarily and enter Teachers' Training College just because of that 2 marks! Why? Because I needed a permanent job to support myself and pay for my studies. But now, I know why I had to refer the Criminal Law paper. I honestly feel that the teaching profession is the best thing for me because the legal profession is very stressful and may not be suitable for me. And, of course, God knows what is best for me and He has guided me to choose the perfect job that fits my lifestyle. My life hit rock bottom when my mother passed away, when I failed the Criminal Law paper by two marks, and was without a permanent job. It was then that the Lord carried me to lead me onto the correct path to a bright future. Frankly speaking, if I did not fail the Criminal Law paper by 2 marks, I would never enter Teachers' Training College that year. Since I love to teach and do research work and hate office work, working in a legal firm would make me feel very miserable. I am thankful to the Lord for His career guidance that makes me what I am today. It seems that He understands me more than I understand myself. 

Thanks for reading. You may also like to read How Abraham Lincoln Inspired Me to Pursue My Ph.D.?, How to Leave the Past Behind You and Move Forward and SALUTATION TO THE DAWN. To view the content page of this blog, please click here.

Reference:

How to stop worrying and start living by Dale Carnegie. Cedar Publishing.