Legacy of Footprints
Rebecca Urrutia, Student Life Editor
June 9, 2010
Filed under Spirituality, Student Life, Top Stories
Everywhere we go, in everything we do, we leave a trail of footprints. Some people leave soft, impermanent indentations in the path behind them; others hard, lasting impressions that seem to be etched in stone. Some footprints will last for generations, enduring even the strongest tempests, while others will be swept away with the most fragile breeze.
With our hearts eagerly anticipating the moment where we will finally toss our caps up in the air and receive our diplomas, CCA’s fourth graduating class will soon set foot on the fresh, unmarked soil of new territory. After one year, or even ten years, of having attended Calvary, each senior will have left their own footprints of legacy. Some of us might be remembered as having been a star athlete, an honor roll student or a gifted thespian. But some of us might be hesitant to glance back over our shoulder and see the footprints in our past. As seniors, we desire and hope to be remembered as . . .
“Someone who glorified God by using the gifts He gave me, like dance. . .”
“Someone who worked hard in school but still tried to find time to reach out to younger students. . .”
“Someone that people could look up to. . .”
“Someone who not only had a voice, but someone who used it. . .”
We want to be known as people of honor who bring smiles to the faces of people when they remember our legacy. But maybe we didn’t leave the legacy we hoped we would. As one anonymous CCA senior said, “I wish I had made more of an impact.” Many of us have regrets about our high school years, about what we did or did not do. But thankfully, it has now become a part of the past, and Christ promises us hope for tomorrow.
College isn’t about our majors, our careers or about meeting our future spouses. It is an opportunity, a gift from God where we can start afresh and create a new set of redemptive footprints. This is our chance. What will we do with it? There are two options: One is to try our hardest to walk in a perfect line, and simply hope that somehow we’ll get it right. The other is to admit that we cannot do it alone, and then watch how Christ will guide our every step when we have surrendered to Him.
Take hope in the fact that He says to “forget the former things and do not dwell on the past,” for He is doing a “new thing,” a new work in our lives. Yes, we will fail daily, but we can trust in His mercies that are made new to us every morning. As we venture out into new territory, remember that this is our opportunity to, with His help, leave a new legacy of footprints behind us.