I heard a joke recently that set me to thinking.
After much banter, one person is leaving a room. A jokester says to them:
“Hey! Wait! You forgot something.”
“What?” comes the reply.
“Your footsteps!”
It struck me in the program that the thought was cute. Immediately I thought of Matthew 10:14. It also struck me that maybe, at times, leaving your footprints behind might be a good thing. Why, you ask? Well, here’s my thinking. Everywhere you go, you leave something behind; your DNA. Leaving your footprints reminded me of leaving a memory to others that you had been there. Perhaps a memory of something shared with someone—an imprint. I believe that’s a good thing.
However, I firmly believe in Matthew 10:14, too.
If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, leave that home or town and shake the dust off your feet.
(Matthew 10:14 NIV)