My favorite season has come to an end, and Labor Day tells me so. But I can’t complain. We’ve had an abundance of beach days during this hot, sunny summer. And with a steady stream of visitors, there have been lots of excuses to plunk our beach chairs on the sand for unhurried conversations – not to mention group swims, walks along the shore, and hunts for pretty stones.

There is one beach activity, though, that’s not quite so easy. Here on the eastern shore of Lake Michigan, we enjoy big silky sand dunes that bring vacationing families from far and wide to play on them. The dunes get a little bigger each year, too, depending on how dry the beach sand is and how stiff the winds. One dune nearby has risen to 260 feet and offers a strenuous workout to get to the top. Then, running downhill is a thrill as gravity morphs footsteps into giant airborne leaps.

“It’s like flying!” the kids say.

The only catch: you have to climb to the top first.

Trudging up a steep dune isn’t easy. Michigan sand is winnowed by westward winds till it becomes fine granules that roll easily underfoot. On a sharp incline, every step can move a climber farther back than forward. At best it’s three steps up, two down.

But after many decades of hiking on sand dunes, I have one piece of helpful advice: as you climb, step into the footprints of someone else. It’ll give you the best odds for minimal slipping, since someone else’s body weight has already caused the sand to slide. And by the way, the fresher the print, the more sure your step will be.

God gave us some similar advice long ago. He said that if we follow in his footsteps, our progress through life will be good. We’ll back-slide less and arrive quicker where we ought to be. And he makes one last point — the fresher his imprint, the better for us. So, following closely is always a good idea.

When we do, he might even let us fly!

“Direct my footsteps according to your Word.” (Psalm 119:133)