Long long ago, in a faraway place (metro Atlanta) I was a 15 year old 9th grader staring down a bi-centennial project.  It was THE year….1976….the 200th birthday of the United States.  Bi-centennial stuff was everywhere…and because I was fortunate enough to still be in school, a project was a must.  After much complaining on my part, I finally realized I could do something that I loved and actually made it work for my grade!  I had only been crocheting about 3 years, but I absolutely loved it, and this afghan earned me an A and my picture in the local newspaper.  Yay, me! It is now 41 years later, and as I was thinking about July 4th (tomorrow) I remembered this afghan.  Much to my amazement, about 20 minutes later I located it in a bin in the attic, and brought it down.  It is in incredible condition, looking like I just finished it yesterday, instead of 41 years ago.

All of which led me to this thought:  in just 9 short years, we will be celebrating the 250th birthday of the US!  How did that happen so quick??  As we head into tomorrow’s celebration, there has been all kinds of talk about the military, and wars and conquests and independence in the news lately.  There have been hundreds of conversations about the greatness of our country, and all the men who have fought and died for our freedom.  And at work, a lot of our regular daytime customers served in the military, and they’ve been sharing a lot of stories among themselves and with us.

As I have listened, I have heard God speaking to me as well about footsteps.  I’ve thought about all those steps combined of every man (and now woman) who has trudged through a jungle, beach front, desert or other abysmal place on mission.  All those steps taken in fear, or triumph, or somewhere in between.  I’ve pictured the soldiers, any of them, covered in sweat, grime, blood, dirt, and other things, all walking toward progress, protection of our rights, and freedom.  It is astonishing to think what it would look like if all those footsteps could be made visible one more time…and to see the effort they took.  And unfortunately, it would be very sad to see how many times those footprints had been made over and over and over again, as wars were won, lost, and won again.

But in spite of all those, there is one trail of footprints that has had vastly more impact in my life…the trail that led to the cross of Calvary.  Jesus was also determinedly on mission – to save and redeem His lost people – and He too was in an abysmal place…the place of death and crucifixion.  He too was covered in sweat, grime, dirt, and blood…but HIS footsteps were ONLY in triumph!  His was a mission that could not fail…and would never have to be repeated!  His walk to the cross was the completion of God’s plan to save all who would come to Him forever, and to bring irreversible victory and freedom in Him.  What a contrast!  And what a blessing to know that if we see that path, and follow Him, we will never ever experience defeat at death!

But there’s still one more trail of footprints…my own.  As I look back on the 41 years since that afghan was made, I know I have covered a lot of ground, both geographically, emotionally, and spiritually.  I know that I have walked a lot of miles as a believer and follower of Jesus Christ, but that path is not a straight one, and it has lots of curves and side paths.  The question I have considered is this:  if the soldier’s steps have (by and large) led to earthly freedom for me, and Jesus’ footsteps have led to total spiritual victory for me, where have MY footsteps led other people?  Can they follow any of mine and be brought to the feet of Jesus?  Or if they follow mine now, or in the past, would they take them to a place of sin and heartache?  Which way am I leading anyone who looks at my life and my spiritual journey….toward bondage and frustration, or toward freedom and joy in Christ?

I think this holiday is a perfect time for some serious self-reflection for all of us.  After all, if we’re still here, we’re growing older…and our steps are running out.  Soon, we’ll be done with our walking here….and I want to leave knowing that I have pointed as many people to Jesus as I possibly could!