Speaking of the way God ordains our circumstances, (read yesterday’s post if you’re confused) I forgot about this story…

So my two younger kids went to public school in January of 2016. Two months before, in October, a friend of mine invited us to a Fall Festival at the school they would later attend. We didn’t know all that would happen in two months, but I thought it would be fun and said yes to her invitation.

Ironically, she was unable to go due to a family emergency, but we still decided to go. I knew no one there and Adam and I awkwardly stood in the halls while our kids ran from classroom to classroom doing silly tricks and collecting bucketfuls of candy.

All of a sudden I saw a lady pass by that looked familiar. I mean she just passed by the hallway where I stood people watching and instantly I remembered her from, are you ready…4th grade! I’m serious! I don’t think I’ve seen her since then, but I was sure that was her.

I thought, man, it would be neat to talk to her. Almost an hour later we finished making the candy rounds and walked out to the car. Guess who was standing right outside the doors? Yes, this girl!

I went up to her and said, “Amy, do you remember me?”

She looked at me, smiled and exclaimed, “Oh my goodness, Julie!”

We caught up for a few minutes and I was amazed that, one, I recognized her from 4th grade and, two, that we met up at this small town in East Texas.

Fast forward two months and on Mackenzie’s first day of school we discovered that she is in the same class as my 4th grade friend’s daughter! And they both happen to be in 4th grade too.

Isn’t that cool?! God showed up in some of the most peculiar ways, showing me His Sovereignty over all creation.

What does this story have to do with hope? Well, when your circumstances have caught you off guard, know that they haven’t caught Him by surprise. He is still standing at the helm directing your ship.

When life turns upside down and you can’t tell which way is North anymore, look for His footprints. Grab a magnifying glass if you need to, get on your hands and knees and pray for Him to show you that He is still there. His footprints will be there, walking beside you.

Or, as the poem goes, if you don’t see the footprints, that is the time when instead of walking beside you, He’s carrying you. There is so much comfort in knowing there’s nothing you can walk through that He won’t go with you.

One night I dreamed a dream.
As I was walking along the beach with my Lord.
Across the dark sky flashed scenes from my life.
For each scene, I noticed two sets of footprints in the sand,
One belonging to me and one to my Lord.

After the last scene of my life flashed before me,
I looked back at the footprints in the sand.
I noticed that at many times along the path of my life,
especially at the very lowest and saddest times,
there was only one set of footprints.

This really troubled me, so I asked the Lord about it.
“Lord, you said once I decided to follow you,
You’d walk with me all the way.
But I noticed that during the saddest and most troublesome times of my life,
there was only one set of footprints.
I don’t understand why, when I needed You the most, You would leave me.”

He whispered, “My precious child, I love you and will never leave you
Never, ever, during your trials and testings.
When you saw only one set of footprints,
It was then that I carried you.”

This post is apart of a series called 31 stories of hope for every homeschooler. To see the whole series, click HERE

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