Footprints of peace
Just before I released my album, I felt all kinds of fears and insecurities surfacing.
One day, pouring my heart out to God in my journal, I began to ask him about my deepest fears...like:
What if nobody even listens to my album?
What if it’s terrible and I’m the only one who doesn’t know?
What if I totally missed it?
What if it doesn’t even fulfill its purpose and it was a horrible waste of four years of time, energy and finances for our family?
I asked God if he wanted to show me a picture.
I saw a picture of someone walking from behind. Well defined footprints in the muddy ground. Father God is following closely behind, carefully tending to and preserving the footprints. Then, I see him pour liquid gold into them as a mold of each one. As they harden and set, one by one, he starts to collect in his hands, these round gold discs, each with a raised footprint in the centre. They are his treasures.
At first, I wonder if the footprints are mine? But no, they look like a man’s feet, with big work boots on. Then God shows me they are the feet of Jesus. The muddy ground is the messy, painful places of my heart. Every time I trust Jesus to step into my pain becomes a cherished memory, a treasure even, for God. Each footprint is “proof” that I trusted and believed that his love would be greater than the pain. That it would be worth letting him in. That he had a better story to write with those stories of pain. Every footprint is a place he stepped into my mess to bring love, compassion and healing.
I notice that the work boots Jesus is wearing must be the shoes of peace. His “work” is to bring peace into the turmoil of my heart. They are footprints of peace. As I ponder this, he says, “Get it, PRINTS OF PEACE”?! I sat there stunned, wondering what just happened!! The ultimate Dad joke!
Finally… he spoke clearly to my heart.
“I don’t treasure what you achieve, I treasure what you give me access to.”
Not only did this encounter change my whole perspective of this album and project, it changed everything about the way I understand what God values in me. It has redefined success in my life. This is how ‘Prints of Peace’ began. Of course. A moment of great pain, deep fear, the question of my soul, what if I’ve failed and got it all wrong? And an invitation for the Man wearing the shoes of peace to step in.
My dream for this community is that we will be able to do this journey together and share our encounters with the Kindest King. And that by reading these stories, we would find the courage to keep opening the doors of our hearts to Him, one by one, and letting Him speak love and compassion over us as He comes in.