“When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and sat down again.” John 13:12
…..Please note, he finished washing their feet.
That means he left no one out . . . He washed the feet of Judas. Jesus washed the feet of his betrayer. He gave this traitor equal attention. In just a few hours Judas’ feet would guide the Roman guard to Jesus. But at this moment they are caressed by Christ . . .
That’s not to say it was easy . . . That is to say that God will never call you to do what he hasn’t already done
----By Max Lucado----
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We are made for service…
I spend a lot of my time caring for others, but that is how it should be, I don’t need to list what I do (Okay, sometimes I need to vent because I get overwhelmed) but this is what we are CALLED to do. Jesus washed the feet of the person who would betray him… Have you ever done something good for someone who turned around and couldn’t do the same for you or who hurt you? Well, if you did, Jesus can relate… and he would tell you to love them anyway. Don’t you just hate it when you bend over backwards to help someone and they don’t appreciate it?! Could you send your only child do die so that others could be saved KNOWING that many would still sin, still do wrong and not care. THAT is a hard pill to swallow, especially now with my own son. Who would not end up becoming bitter? Mary didn’t, she continued to love and live as Jesus her son would have wanted her to. It was heart-wrenching to watch The Passion of Christ and see her there watching her son endure everything… and to walk behind him as he carried the cross to his own death… even thinking about it makes me feel like I can’t breathe. So any complaints we have, seem pretty insignificant to that… I will be the first to say that I throw the needs of my family and myself to the back a lot when someone needs something, and I feel the worst guilt when I am so tired and worn-out from running around and doing things that my husband and son seem to get the worst of me when they deserve the best… and they love me anyway. I have to die to my needs everyday because THAT is being Jesus, when I get frustrated and impatient but I smile and say, ‘take your time, I am not in a rush’ and my heart is screaming that I want to be home… I AM being Jesus, maybe not feeling it, but my actions are showing it. But when I am human and show my irritation or make someone feel like they are a burden, the guilt and shame I feel are overwhelming… And the regret is something that I pray on so that I can remember that feeling and hope that the next time, I can die a little more to my own needs… Sometimes we need to stop and put ourselves in the place of people that need help, it is not an easy place to be… I am blessed to be able to drive, to have a home, to have money to meet my needs to have a family that loves me and to feel loved and appreciated, but I also know that there are so many people that do not. When Johnny and I were having car problems last year, it was not easy, him working out of town and having the only car left me… looking for rides, figuring out ways to get where I and Noah needed because I didn’t want him to feel the guilt of having to take the car so I smiled and said, no biggie.. I will work it out. It was a couple of weeks of waiting… being stuck here and there until someone could get me, trying to make the most of the trips I was able to make and wanting to kick myself when I forgot this or needed to do that and was left wondering what to do AND feeling like I hated to ask… AGAIN… My mother can’t driver with her dementia, my mother in law hasn’t been able to drive for years… My mom was a VERY independent person… and that is gone now, she has to learn to depend on others and I know she hates it… Momo has been dependent longer so even though it is still very frustrating for her, at least my mom has more options because she has more kids! All those little things you never think about… They feel like they are burdens, they hurt when they have to ask… again… BUT, they have no choice. Jesus knew that Judas was going to betray him yet HE, our Saviour, washed his feet anyway. When I compare what I do to all that our Savior has done and continues to do… my list isn’t much… So today, I will be going to take the Momo to pay a bill then trim her toenails (by the way, I hate feet) and if I had time I would paint them too… But I can’t because I have to go and get my family dressed and then get my Mom loaded up and head to TJ’s graduation dinner at church… And I am sure that I will be rushed, running like crazy and in a hurry to get there when I only have an hour after work to get all this done… But I have a Spider-man puzzle waiting on the table for us when we get home and a little boy that will be ready for some snuggle time… and that makes it all worth it…
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