Lives of great men all remind us
We can make our lives sublime,
And, departing, leave behind us
Footprints on the sands of time;
Footprints, that perhaps another,
Sailing o’er life’s solemn main,
A forlorn and shipwrecked brother,
Seeing, shall take heart again.
Wherever we go, whatever we say, and whatever we do, we are leaving marks behind us. Some of these marks will be remembered for years to come, so we should always take care in every aspect of our lives and ask ourselves: What footsteps will I leave in this life? Will my steps encourage the broken hearted and plant a seed that will always be remembered, because they saw Christ in me?
The following testimony tells us about a few unknown young people, whose footsteps are, many years later, still cherished by a grateful mother.
I hope this testimony is helpful. A few years ago I worked among many women that always wore pants to work. Of course I wore modest style clothing - a dress or a shirt/skirt. Many times fellow workers would ask me why I never wore pants. I would either ignore them or just say that I was a girl, so I didn’t wear pants. It was frustrating to me that people couldn’t leave me alone and mind their own business.
One morning I prayed about it very sincerely and questioned if the way I dressed even made a difference. I asked for the Lord to reveal this to me, and to give me a sweet and correct attitude if I was to be a good witness. Well, the very day I had been praying about this, a lady at work asked me the same question, “Why do you wear skirts all of the time?” The way that she approached me was respectful and not as aggressive as others. I felt the leading to tell her that I was a Message believer, that I believed in healing by faith, and that there’s a chapter in Deuteronomy about women not wearing a garment pertaining to a man. She said that she was a Baptist, yet knew about Message believers and had great respect for them.
Then she nearly started crying as she recalled an experience she had over 15 years ago at Furr’s cafeteria in Tucson. It was on a Sunday afternoon, and she and her two-year-old daughter were in line to get a meal. Many from Tucson know that people attending various church services would go to Furr’s cafeteria afterwards. Her daughter had a serious medical condition that affected her breathing, and her doctor was going to perform a tracheotomy on her the following week. After the surgery the little girl would then require a trach/ventilator to breathe for the rest of her life.
As they stood in line, her daughter became more visibly uncomfortable and upset. She could no longer comfort her and was going to leave. At that point a group of young, high school aged Message believers that were also in line asked if they could pray over her daughter. She said “Yes, please, of course.” Almost immediately after these young people prayed for her daughter, she reported that she was breathing regularly. They went forward and enjoyed their meal. She believes that her daughter was healed instantly that day. What stood out to her was the age of the young people that took their time and interest to help her. This little girl is now over 18 years old and breathing fine on her own since that day of healing. Thank you Lord for being merciful. Thank you Lord for placing believers there to help and to witness. This has encouraged my faith tremendously.
Sister Hope
USA
Longfellow’s Psalm of Life
Tell me not, in mournful numbers,
Life is but an empty dream!
For the soul is dead that slumbers,
And things are not what they seem.
Life is real! Life is earnest!
And the grave is not its goal;
Dust thou art, to dust returnest,
Was not spoken of the soul.
Not enjoyment, and not sorrow,
Is our destined end or way;
But to act, that each to-morrow
Find us farther than to-day.
Art is long, and Time is fleeting,
And our hearts, though stout and brave,
Still, like muffled drums, are beating
Funeral marches to the grave.
In the world’s broad field of battle,
In the bivouac of Life,
Be not like dumb, driven cattle!
Be a hero in the strife!
Trust no Future, howe’er pleasant!
Let the dead Past bury its dead!
Act,— act in the living Present!
Heart within, and God o’erhead!
Lives of great men all remind us
We can make our lives sublime,
And, departing, leave behind us
Footprints on the sands of time;
Footprints, that perhaps another,
Sailing o’er life’s solemn main,
A forlorn and shipwrecked brother,
Seeing, shall take heart again.
Let us, then, be up and doing,
With a heart for any fate;
Still achieving, still pursuing,
Learn to labor and to wait.