Matthew 6:33 – But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. (NIV)

With numerous dogs running about the place, I also have numerous water bowls spread about, and these numerous dogs, drinking from their numerous bowls, often leave numerous muddy footprints on the floor with all their slurping and lapping. And all these muddy footprints can at times nearly drive me to distraction. I fret and groan, and believe it or not, I can even slide into a regular temper tantrum as I mop and dry and mop and dry and mop and dry, only to have to mop and dry again.

One day, however, I was just too busy with other things to get frantic over muddy footprints in the dog room, and I learned something very valuable. If I just left the muddy prints for awhile, they dried up of their own accord and turned into sand which was easily swept away. Duhhh, I said to myself. All this fretting over something as silly as a bit of mud, when all I needed to do was leave it alone, and it would basically take care of itself.

My, oh my, and how often do we find ourselves fretting and sweating and stewing over everything from something as small as muddy footprints on the floor right on up to global warming, world recession, and the second coming of Christ. And yet as Jesus has said:

Matthew 6:27 – Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? (NIV)

Mmmmm, now that's a truth worth thinking about, isn't it? And perhaps this might be another truth as well, even though Jesus didn't say it: Maybe if we took more time to pay attention to following the footprints of Jesus as they trail throughout the Scriptures, dispersing their wisdom along the way, we would discover that all our worries and concerns, like the muddy footprints on my floor, would simply fade away into a forgotten pile of old memories.

Prayer: Father God, forgive us for our worrying, fretting ways. Encourage our hearts and minds to follow the footprints of Jesus and His wisdom, that our trust will be wholly centred on You and not the muddy footprints of this world. In Christ's name, we ask. Amen.

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About the author:

Lynne Phipps <lynnephippsatlin@gmail.com>
Tawatinaw, Alberta, Canada
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