As I look out at our backyard, the first thing I see is footprints in the snow. Lots and lots of 
footprints. Footprints that run into each other and cross each other. Footprints that stand alone and even. Some tell the stories of rabbits. Others of squirrels. Of a chocolate lab. Of people. I could go on and on. A couple weeks ago, I noticed a very telling and interesting set of footprints. Rabbits tracks started and then ended. Where they ended, I noticed an interesting set of tracks. Four wide marks on the snow and then nothing. Wing marks perhaps? I can see it now. A rabbit was moving along, making its way up the hill, when swoop! Down came a hawk and the rabbit went poof!
I wonder what the scene would look like if every step we took was recorded in eternal snow. What would our footprints say about where we have been and where we are going? What would we learn about those we travel with and what would they learn about us? There’s an old adage that effectively says you really don’t know someone until you have walked in their moccasins. While we can never completely walk in anyone else’s shoes, God often uses the experiences of our lives to increase our compassion and the grace we show others. If you’ve gone through the pain of divorce, you have a better idea of what someone who is going through a divorce is experiencing. If death has come knocking on your door, you know what it’s like to lose someone you love. If you’ve lived with depression, you understand the struggle of another. If you’ve heard the words, “You have cancer,” you know what it feels like. Experiences either make us better or worse. May all our experiences make us better, more compassionate people—people God uses to touch, encourage and bring hope to others.
Blessings,
Laura