Cement is not meant to be walked in! However, these steps and pawprints reflect the love and faithfulness of this dog for its master which is saved for posterity! In the old carol about Good King Wenceslas, we see the monarch and his page stepping out in harsh cold weather to show kindness to a household in poverty. They set out together to take food, wine and logs for a poor man. The King makes it easier for his servant in making a safe way through the thick snow:
Mark my footsteps good my page,
Step thou in them boldly,
Thou shall find the winter rain,
Freeze thy blood less coldly.
In his master’s steps he trod.
This dog did just that in complete trust.
It was another King who coined the phrase that ‘a dog is a man’s best friend’ – it was first used back in 1789 by King Frederick of Prussia who said: “The only, absolute and best friend that a man has, in this selfish world, the only one that will not betray or deny him, is his Dog!” A third King spoke of treading with confidence into the future during the darkness of the Second World War:
And I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year:
“Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown”.
And he replied:
“Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the Hand of God.
That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way”.
So I went forth, and finding the Hand of God, trod gladly into the night.
This poem by Minnie Louise Haskins was reputedly handed to King George VI by his young daughter, the late Queen Elizabeth II. Famous for her love of Corgis, Queen Elizabeth was well known for her Christian belief in the King of kings and for treading in his steps. Another poem that reads as a prayer and has been described as a rock for some is simply called ‘Footprints in the Sand’.
One night I dreamed a dream.
As I was walking along the beach with my Lord.
Across the dark sky flashed scenes from my life.
For each scene, I noticed two sets of footprints in the sand,
One belonging to me and one to my Lord.After the last scene of my life flashed before me,
I looked back at the footprints in the sand.
I noticed that at many times along the path of my life,
especially at the very lowest and saddest times,
there was only one set of footprints.This really troubled me, so I asked the Lord about it.
“Lord, you said once I decided to follow you,
You’d walk with me all the way.
But I noticed that during the saddest and most troublesome times of my life,
there was only one set of footprints.
I don’t understand why, when I needed You the most, You would leave me.”He whispered, “My precious child, I love you and will never leave you
Never, ever, during your trials and testings.
When you saw only one set of footprints,
It was then that I carried you.”
Whatever you may be facing, let these footprints inspire and encourage you. You have one who watches over you even when you don’t realise and here is his invitation: ‘God cares for you, so turn all your worries over to him’ – 1 Peter 5:7