Tracks

Sweetly, Lord, have we heard Thee calling,

Come, follow Me!

And we see where Thy footprints falling

Lead us to Thee.

Footprints of Jesus,

That make the pathway glow;

We will follow the steps of Jesus

Where’er they go.

Though they lead o’er the cold, dark mountains,

Seeking His sheep;

Or along by Siloam’s fountains,

Helping the weak.

Footprints of Jesus,

That make the pathway glow.

We will follow the steps of Jesus

Where e’er they go.

The words of this hymn rang through my mind yesterday as week skied in the backcountry.  There is something about a perfect skin-track leading upward through fresh snow; to me it's as beautiful as perfect turns coming back down.  The beauty of nature, which transcends our ability to copy or recreate, is enhanced by human contact.

We walk and move and breathe our way through life on earth, inevitably leaving our trace as we travel along.  I believe we can learn a lot about ourselves by taking a minute and looking at our own tracks.  Do we have a good stride: are we moving with confidence?  Can you see evidence of walking with purpose, or are the tracks wandering?  Where have you come from: is your trail just following the path of least resistance or has it come over difficult terrain, up steep hills and jumping over fallen logs?  Does it seem as though your tracks interact with those of others?  Reflecting on where we've been allows us to make adjustments, even out our movements, take a better angle.  Then we can look ahead to the horizon, set a course and follow those footsteps of Jesus wherever they go.