Footprints

One night a man had a dream. He dreamed that he was walking along the beach with the Lord. Across the sky flashed scenes of his life. For each scene, he noticed two sets of footprints in the sand; one belonged to him, and the other to the Lord. When the last scene of his life flashed before his eyes, 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 of his life. It really bothered him, and so 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 need You most, You would leave me. The Lord replied, "My precious, precious child, I love you and I would never leave you. During those times of trial and suffereing, when you see only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you."