Feet

Well, I am not a person who is very fond of feet... I mean, generally, they smell, they are dirty, and not so cute...

I remember a few years ago, when my church had a special prayer service, that there were volunteers 'washing the feet' of anyone who wished to partake, and I did not partake.  I remember thinking...."my toes are not polished, I've been in these shoes all day, I am not going to give my feet to a stranger to wash, how embarrassing"....

That prayer service had not crossed my mind again, until this week, when the following scene played out in my home:

Because of my current back problems, one morning, while getting ready to leave for school and work, I asked one of my boys to buckle my shoes... He did so immediately, without complaint.  Then, when I put out the other foot, my other son said "Hey, let me do that one!" and pushed his brother out of the way.  I walked out of the house thinking 'why in the world would they argue over who got to buckle my shoes?'  But then it hit me...they only wanted to help someone that they love overwhelmingly; Me!  They argued over who would get the 'honor' of making things easier for someone that they love deeply.  Wow!

That then made me think of the prostitute who washed Jesus' feet, in Luke 7: 37-38: "A sinful woman in the town learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house. So she brought an alabaster jar of perfume 38 and stood behind Jesus at his feet, crying. She began to wash his feet with her tears, and she dried them with her hair, kissing them many times and rubbing them with the perfume."

For the first time, I UNDERSTAND why that woman washed and kissed Jesus' feet...  She loved him overwhelmingly!  She knew that Jesus' was her Savior, and that He deserved the Best that she had to offer!  She wanted to give Him something, anything, in exchange for the love that He gave her, and all of humanity. 

I am SO grateful to my boys, for teaching me this lesson!   For showing me that no matter the dirt, grime, smell, filth, or any other form of put-off'; giving something helpful, caring, meaningful, to someone that you love overwhelmingly, is easy, and without reserve, because of how deeply you love them! 

I guess a saying that is hanging in my house, REALLY rings true today... "While we try to teach our children about life, our children teach us what life is all about!" 

I think, the next time that there is a Prayer Service at which feet washing is being done, I will volunteer to be a washer...blessing others through love!