Leaving Behind Footprints

I was reading an article this week that was discussing Charlie Sheen. He is getting a lot of media coverage. Reports say that he is more “popular,” based on attention he is receiving, right now than President Obama and Lady Gaga.

Within the article, it mentioned something to the effect that it was sad how Sheen was going about presenting himself to the public. Some of it is on national television with interviews, but he is also recording his own rants and putting them on the internet for people to see — a free way to express yourself.

A portion of the sadness, as expressed in the article, would be that his sons would most likely be seeing these interviews and rants due to the electronic and technological age that we live in.

When I thought about it, I did think it was definitely sad for children to see their father (or mother) do things that are not only embarrassing, but saved in the archives of the electronic age to be continually embarrassing.

My parents may have done something crazy at one time in their life, but they were teens in the late 50s and young adults in early 60s. That was before there was anything electronic like there is now. If they did do something crazy (which I cannot imagine they did) I would likely be embarrassed or lose respect for them.

As we go about life, we must remember that we are leaving behind footprints. With the electronic age we currently live in, the footprints we leave behind have the potential of being permanent. Think about the crazy pictures and videos people post to their social media accounts. Think about that twenty-five years from now when the teens have teens or the parents are grandparents. It will be interesting to see what footprints are left behind. May we not only keep in mind those kind s of footprints, but also the spiritual footprints we leave behind. May our footprints be worth following.