The Mystery

Exodus 13:21 – By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night. (NIV)

From time to time, I help out a friend who cleans the government offices in our town. One night, I was especially busy as some construction work had just been completed in the building I was cleaning. After emptying the trash and wiping down all the counters and furniture, I hauled out the vacuum to suck up the dirt and sawdust. I took my time, going from one end of the office to the other, making sure that even the tiniest bits of wood were picked up. So you can imagine how surprised I was as I backtracked to put the vacuum away in the storage closet, and discovered a trail of sawdust on the rugs in the foyer.

Someone must have come in when I was at the other end of the building, I mused, but no one was there now. With a sigh of exasperation, I plugged the vacuum in once again and redid the carpet. It was only as I turned around once again to backtrack and still saw footprints on the rug that the mystery was solved. Nobody else was in the building. The sawdust was on the bottom of my socks. It was me leaving the footprints.

This funny little episode prompted me to think of how God led the Israelites for forty years through the desert. His footprints were in the form of a pillar of cloud and a pillar of fire, which left Moses and the people in no doubt as to Whom they were following.

As Christians, we, too, leave footprints every day as we walk through life. Our attitudes, expressions, work ethic, morals, speech, and actions leave imprints everywhere we go, whether we want them to or not.

Today, as we go about our day, let us therefore endeavour to leave footprints behind us that reveal to others Whom we are following, that they, too, may perhaps choose to follow Him as well.

Prayer: Thank You, God, that You left Your footprints for the Israelites so long ago, and still leave them for us today through the Scriptures, the Holy Spirit, and godly friends and family. Bless us this day, that our footprints may clearly reveal to others Whom we follow. In Christ's name, we ask. Amen.

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