#11 Those Feet

Those Feet

I’m sure we’ve all done it. You know, walking through a beautiful lawn barefoot. The soft cool grass on a hot summer day is so comforting to those bare toes. Then, before you know it you’re looking to the sky as beautiful billowing white clouds sweep the world away. Until... you step in something. Now your foot is covered in mud or something worse.

It’s cool to me how scriptures that I’ve read time and time again can suddenly, with Holy Spirit’s direction, take on a brand new revelation, and this is what happened while working my way through life the other day. In the book of John, chapter 13 we find Jesus taking the lowliest role of a servant and after girding a towel around his waist he kneels and begins to wash the disciple’s feet. I don’t know how many of the disciple’s feet he had washed before he got to Peter, but it’s here that the story opens up. Peter straight up tells Jesus, “You will never wash my feet.” Jesus’ response to that... “If I do not wash you, you have no part in me.” later in the verse he continues with these words “he who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean;”

Of all the parts of our body, it is our feet that come into contact with the world more often than anything else. It’s also our feet that oftentimes have no choice but to be the barrier between me and filth, and though they get soiled the rest of me stays clean. This morning as I sit here thinking about this it hits me that much like the reference in this scripture to our physical bodies, our spirits though they are clean are going to get soiled. Our feet have no choice but to carry us into and through our day-to-day life, and of course, along the way they are going to get dirty.

Could Jesus have been making a reference here in the same way? Like He is saying, “Hey, I’ve made you clean, yet I understand that you live in this world, and though the rest of you is clean, the world soiled you a little today, so... let me wash those feet each day.” Our spirit’s feet are going to get dirty. At times it may be unavoidable, or it may be on accident, and other times we may make the choice to jump into a mud puddle and stomp around, but it’s safe to say that somehow we are going to have dirty feet. It’s what we do with those dirty feet that makes the difference. If I decide to hold off from allowing Jesus to wash my feet, it could get worse, what I stepped in could cause disease and start to rott away my feet, and if I let that go it could become life-threatening.

I believe what Jesus is saying to me about this is that He knows I’m not perfect and I’m going to make mistakes. I’m going to step into something with my feet and it is going to cause me disgust and possibly even pain and while I could try to clean it up myself He takes the place of a servant and washes me completely clean.

Thank You Jesus for the way You care for me. Thank You for not only leading but also cleansing me. There is no condemnation in the way You keep us clean and I’m so thankful. It’s a joy to belong to You. It’s a joy to be in love with You. Thank You for Your blessing, Your presence, Your patience, Your protection, and Your peace in my life.

I love you,

Stacy