Footsteps in the sand

Once a man had a dream, he dreamed he was walking along the beach, together with the Lord. Against the blue sky, periods of life were outlined. For each period he saw two pairs of footsteps in the sand, one pair of himself and the other pair of the Lord.

When the last period was depicted, he looked back at the footsteps in the sand. Suddenly he saw that in many places of his life's journey there were only a pair of footsteps. He also noted, that this happened precisely during the most difficult and saddest times of his life.

It really grieved him and so he asked the Lord about it. He said, "Lord, You said that - once I decided to follow You - You would then go all the way with me. But now I see that just in the most difficult times of my life there are only a few footsteps. I don't understand why You left me at those very moments". Then the Lord replied, "My dear child, I love you and would never leave you. In your moments of struggle and suffering, there where you see only a few footsteps, there it was that I carried you."