Poem: The Footprints of his Grace | Jinu Tony

When I look behind me, I no longer see

A road shaped by chance or what was meant to be;

Through triumph and trial, through loss and gain,

I see the hand of my God through joy and pain.

Not titles I earned, nor the victories I trace,

Not worldly applause, nor the height of my place—

Beyond every season, through every phase,

I see one truth: the Footprints of His Grace.

There were days when duty weighed like a stone,

When choices were mine, yet I felt all alone;

When others sought answers, direction, and light,

While I searched for courage through long silent nights.

A leader may guide with wisdom and skill,

May plan and decide with a steadfast will;

But years have revealed what my heart knows today—

True leadership begins when Christ leads the way.

I thought I walked alone through the desert sand,

But Grace had gone before me, holding my hand.

The mountains I feared became lessons of faith;

The storms I resisted revealed His great grace.

I asked Him, “Lord, take every mountain away.”

He answered, “I’ll strengthen your feet for the day.”

I prayed for fewer battles, less burden, less pain—

He became my Defender through loss and through rain.

Not every closed door meant I had failed;

Some doors were shut because His plan prevailed.

Not every delay meant the answer was “No”;

Some blessings need seasons beneath earth to grow.

What I called failure, He called preparation;

What I called loss, divine transformation.

Each setback, each scar, every sorrow and tear

Was shaping the person He wanted me near.

When I stumbled, His hand lifted me;

When I wandered, His voice called me free.

When burdens grew heavier than I could bear,

I found my Redeemer already there.

The footprints beside mine were never a trace

Of a distant King who had left me my place;

They belonged to my Shepherd, my Savior, my Friend—

The One who was with me from beginning to end.

Success taught gratitude; failure taught grace;

Adversity taught me to seek His face.

Waiting taught patience; loss taught me prayer;

And every hard season revealed He was there.

For circumstances change, but my God will remain;

His mercy is constant through sunshine and rain.

My weakness displays what His strength can achieve;

My scars tell the story of why I believe.

I do not stand because I never fell;

I stand because Grace sustained me well.

I am not strong because I never cried;

I am strong because Jesus walked by my side.

So I will not regret the wilderness road,

For there I discovered the strength of my God.

I will not despise every broken place,

For there I encountered the heart of His grace.

And when my last chapter on earth is complete,

When faith turns to sight at His glorious feet,

I’ll look back with gratitude, not for what I achieved,

But for every moment His grace I received.

Then I will remember the lesson made true:

“Remember how the Lord your God led you.”

Through every mountain, each valley I passed,

His footprints of grace were with me at last.

Until that great morning, I’ll walk by His light,

Not trusting my strength, but by faith—not by sight.

And if someone asks what sustained me each day,

I will simply answer:

“His Grace led the way.”

For every step, every trial I faced,

Every tear, every triumph, each moment of grace—

My life has one story, one truth I embrace:

I walked through it all,

By the Footprints of Grace.

“Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way…”

— Deuteronomy 8:2

 

Jinu Tony