--Mary Stevenson

One night a man had a dream.
He dreamed he was walking along the beach with the Lord.
Across the sky flashed scenes from his life.
For each scene, he noticed two sets of footprints in the sand;
one belonging to him, and the other to the Lord.
When the last scene of his life flashed before him,
he looked back at the footprints in the sand.
He noticed that many times along the path of his life, there
was only one set of footprints.
He also noticed that it happened at the very lowest
and saddest times in his life.
This really bothered him and he questioned the Lord about it.
"Lord, you said that once I decided to follow you,
you'd walk with me all the way.
But I have noticed that during the most troublesome times
in my life there is only one set of footprints.
I don't understand why, when I needed you most,
you would leave me."
The Lord replied, "My precious, precious child, I love
you and I would never leave you.
During your times of trial and suffering, when you see only one
set of footprints in the sand, it was then that I carried you."