The Rest of the Story

As a little girl, I can remember playing in the back yard with my sister. I don't remember the particular order of things but it seems that we would hear Paul Harvey talking on the radio and I remember him saying "and that is the Rest of the Story" and then soon afterwards our mother would call us in for lunch. And it seems like tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches were on the menu - I'm guessing that was a favorite of mine since that is the memory that I am recalling. Anyway so today's post will be kind of like a 'rest of the story" kind of post.

I began a new book recently and found this interesting tidbit that I had never heard before so I thought I would share it here- just in case you hadn't heard it either:

 

Garments of Grace ~From a Fig Leaf Fix to Robes of Righteousness"

By Tim Crosby

 

"Mary Stevenson was born on November 8, 1922 in the Philadelphia suburb of Chester, Pennsylvania. She lost her mother when she was 6. So her father was forced to raise 8 children by himself during the Great Depression. Mary had some hard times. And so in her early teens she wrote a poem that was inspired by the many things that had affected her young life. She began to share it with others in time of need.

She titled it "Footprints in the Sand." This is the original version, taken directly from her original handwritten copy:

One night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord.
Many scenes from my life flashed across the sky.
IN each scene I noticed footprints in the sand.
Sometimes there were two sets of footprints, other times there was one set of footprints.

This bothered me because I noticed
that during the low periods of my life,
when I was suffering from
anguish, sorrow, or defeat,
I could see only one set of footprints.

So I said to the Lord,
"You promised me, Lord,
that if I followed you,
you would walk with me always.
But I have noticed that during
the most trying periods of my life
there has been only one
set of footprints in the sand.
Why, when I needed you most,
have you not been there for me?"

The Lord replied,
"The times when you have
seen only one set of footprints in the sand
are when I carried you."

At age 16 she got into an abusive marriage. She fled with her infant son and found refuge on an Indian reservation outside of Clarmore, Oklahoma. Later she lost her son and spent many years getting him back.

She remarried happily around 1950 to  Basil, a man she called "the love of her life." It was at this time that she first saw "Footprints in the Sand" in print with "Author Anonymous" as the only credit. Several attorneys discouraged her from pursuing her claim to it for lack of proof. Then she fought a war with polio, and an accident almost took her husband, Basil, from her.

In January 1980 she lost her husband, Basil, in his battle with heart disease. She moved out of the home she shared with her family for over 25 years. During the move she came across a small forgotten valise filled with many of the poems she had written over the years. Among all this was a handwritten copy of "Footprints in the Sand" dated 1939 that she hadn't seen since moving into the house in 1959. She was awarded a copyright, and later her copy was authenticated as genuine by a forensic specialist, who dated it as approximately 50-plus years old. She died in 1999.

Those who stand with Jesus never stand alone.

Remember when Jesus told His disciple "You are those who have stood by my in my trials?" Well, that's how justification works. Jesus sees the best in us. As long as we stay in relationship with Him, He sees the potential in us even before we can see it. He told His deserters, in advance, "you stood with by me." He called them faithful even before they really were. Eventually they became what He imputed to them.

 

"God pronounces us worthy while we are still unworthy."

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And that folks, is the rest of the story!! :O)