When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and
returned to his place. "Do you understand what I have done for you?" he
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 also should wash one another's feet." -John 13:12-14
Feet washing. Hmm. Could you imagine washing people's feet every time
they came to your house? Even though the thought of it today can bring
looks of disgust to our faces, imagine what it must have been like in
Jesus' day. People did not get pedicures, they wore sandals- all day,
every day. If feet stink after wearing shoes, imagine what the feet back
then must've smelled like after walking 15 miles in the sand and dust.
It must have been pretty gross. I can't imagine Jesus enjoying this task
of feet washing, but He did it anyway as a prophetic act born of love
for His disciples. He desired that they do the same for each other.
To us in the here and now, washing others' feet might mean something
different. It might mean dealing with the stinky things in life and
cleaning them up. In your workplace, it might mean you are the one to
initiate washing the dishes or taking out the trash, or dealing with
situations other people just don't have enough grace for. In our
communities, it might mean picking up trash on the side of the road, or
visiting a homeless shelter. For our relationships with those we desire
to help, it might mean listening to their problems with grace and mercy,
even though we may not agree. It might mean watching someone else's
children or changing their diapers. In culture, this could mean
"cleaning up the trash" where flies and bugs multiply. Often these acts
of service involve inconvenience.
Jesus was an amazing example of humility toward those He was called to
serve. His washing His disciple's feet was an act of true servant
leadership. He invites us to do the same.
Is there someone's feet you need to wash?
"Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant..." -Matthew 20:26
When I was younger, I worked at various restaurants as a server. At first, I was petrified. I used to have a HUGE fear of people. So huge, in fact, I was afraid to answer the telephone as a child!
Being a server, I had to come to terms with all of that. But, through it I learned to serve. I also learned to serve at the church I went to. Later when I got a job at Nordstrom, one of the visiting CEOs asked me where I had worked before. When I told him I was a server, he replied: "Hmm. Great training!"
If you want to have a bigger impact, find more people to serve. Solve people's problems, and you will have influence in their lives. Jesus was the best example of this: He went around solving people's problems, and people realized He was the Messiah that had been prophesied about in the Old Testament.
We shouldn't use influence to motivate people in the wrong ways, as in leading them to worship us or organizations. But everything we do can be used as a tool to draw them into relationship with Jesus and His kingdom.
We have the answer - the answer is Jesus. When we bring a solution into people's lives, this becomes an open door to share the gospel.
What type of problem does God want you to solve today?
