I once watched a show called America’s Heartland, which featured a unique farm in Utah. A doctor moved his family to Utah to teach his kids the need to get away, slow down, and simplify life. One particular day as the doctor/farmer was leveling a hill with his backhoe, he uncovered something that would that would change his farm forever. He discovered the remains of a dinosaur footprint.

Paleontologists from all over visited the farm and excavations began, which uncovered a number of fossilized footprints, bones, skin impressions, and other items of Paleolithic interest. Rather than turn his unsuccessful farm into a subdivision – as many had done in his area – the farmer spurned the millions of dollars he could have made and donated the land to the city.

The subsequent investigations have shown quite an ecological hub of activity in the prehistory of that farm. Archaeologists have discovered fossils for fish, fowl, flora, and fauna. A fresh water lake once existed at the farm, which was a center of activity for prehistoric wildlife. Their activity is there for us to see and learn from even today. Those creatures were simply carrying on their normal activity, living their lives “in the moment” as we like to say, yet today we can look at what remains from their existence and learn about their world.

Hebrews 11 lists the names of ordinary men and women who made an extraordinary difference in their world. They did not set out to be in the Bible, they simply lived everyday life seeking to follow God and experience Him in the mundane routines of their existence. But what of my life? Am I walking with God in such a way that I will leave a lasting effect on those whose lives I encountered? We find the key to leaving a footprint in the opening verses of the chapter that follows the stories of those men and women of faith:

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. – Hebrews 12:1-3

I wonder what kind of footprint I am leaving. Years down the road, will anyone be able to look back at my life and see that God was at work in me? Am I leaving any evidence that God is real and that He makes a difference in my life? Is my normal, everyday existence so impacted by my relationship with God that people will be able to look back at my life and trace His hand? Will they see the greatness of God in the fossils of my existence? Let’s leave a Godly footprint, friends. Future generations are watching.