Whose Feet Are in Your Hands?
“Do you understand what I have done for you?” [Jesus] asked them. “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you should also wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.” (John 13:12–17 NIV)
Do we understand what Jesus has done for us? If we think we do, what is that knowledge spurring us on to? Are we washing one another’s feet, at least metaphorically?
Every Christian walks the path to looking and loving more like Jesus, which is what he wants for us. Even the “best Christians” we know would probably say they have work to do to make them more like Christ. Jesus washing the disciples’ feet provided an example of how we can be like him. He wants us to serve others in an intimate way.
The church we attend supports a Foster and Adopt Ministry, and the message one morning recently was about taking care of the orphans and widows, which Jesus clearly told his followers to do. The cool thing about this ministry is that people can participate in many ways, fostering being the most obvious. I’m going to attend the meeting about how I can help the families who currently foster. One option is to help with meals when new children are placed in their homes. Another is to train to be a babysitter so foster parents can have a night off when they need one.
Taking a meal to a family might not seem intimate. After all, I wouldn’t be touching their feet. However, I think partaking in food prepared by someone we don’t know feels like putting ourselves at their disposal. And babysitting for anyone’s kids is a big deal. I don’t trust just anyone with my own babies, so I know foster families need people they not only trust but who are reliable. I hope to find out if I can “wash their feet” in these ways.
Doing as Jesus has done for us is not easy. Sometimes it involves changing our habits or our lives, and change is hard. Sometimes we just don’t want to change, but he will show us the way if our heart is open to his will. It might involve serving people we would not have thought about if Jesus hadn’t put them in our path. We might feel that we are called to do something totally out of our comfort zone. If we can take those steps and let God fill in the gaps, not only can we watch him work but we will probably see growth in ourselves.
Washing feet becomes a gift to ourselves because we eventually look more like Jesus. When we can see Jesus in ourselves, we are blessed.
Dear Lord, help us to see the opportunities before us to wash the feet of others. Help us to be willing. Help us to remember what Jesus did for us, so that we can do for others in turn. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Scripture for Reflection
Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. (James 1:22 NIV)
I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved. (1 Corinthians 10:33)
Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ. (1 Corinthians 11:1 NIV)
Reach for More
How are you doing what the Word says? Are you washing the feet of those around you, even the feet of those you don’t know well or at all? If you are, kudos to you. What a blessing you are to those in need!
If not, what are your gifts and how can you use them? Does your church have programs in place for you wash some feet? Is there another organization where you can use your gifts to help others in a way that suits your talents and gifts more? Pray about where God might have a place for you to serve, and then seek out what is available to you. Start small so you don’t feel overwhelmed about adding to what probably already feels like a full and busy life. If you’re serving in the right place, it will not feel like a burden. Also, don’t be afraid to change the place God uses you. We are surrounded by needs, and sometimes we’re meant to be someplace for only a season. Keep praying so God can show you where you’re meant to be.
enjoys a crazy, beautiful life with her military husband and four sons. A baby and toddler interrupt her homeschool days in the best ways, and she is always attempting to live with mindfulness of each moment. She hopes to look at the world and each person in it in light of our amazing Creator and therefore, to see each moment presented as an opportunity to love and serve him more. Carla relishes time to ponder God’s Word and have quiet moments with him and her coffee. She loves doing life with other mamas and encouraging them to simply be who God has made them to be.
Photograph © Syd Wachs, used with permission
