"After the service a man met me at the door and asked if he could wash my feet. He he had a shopping bag in his hand with water bottles and towels. I tried to get out of it by telling him that the fact that he asked was enough to refresh me and wash my feet in a figurative sense. He persisted. Finally I said that if he washed my feet I would have to wash his feet. He agreed. I told him to wait until I greeted everyone as they left and he took a seat on a nearby bench. After greeting everyone he came over and I looked around for an appropriate place. One of our ushers suggested the fountain and we decided it was a good place to go so we walked over. When I asked him his name he dodged for a while but finally told me his name. He is the brother of two girls who were heavily involved in the youth ministry. At the fountain he got all the towels and water set up and I sat and took off my shoes and socks and rolled up my pant legs. He even had a bar of soap, Irish Spring. While he washed my feet he spoke of how he was starting on a new road of total obedience to the Lord. He didn’t know who was preaching but knew that God had told him to ask the minister today if he could wash their feet. After he finished he put his hand on my shoulder and prayed for me. We switched places and I started to wash his feet. While I did I told him of how Christ had set the example for us and the significance of Jesus taking our dirt on Himself. Jesus even washed the feet of Judas. When I finished I prayed for him and we walked back together."
A year later after I wrote this it still impacts me. Our obedience is noticed and impacts others. It is unusual acts like this that show our hearts.
We recently had a missions conference at our church that hosted delegates from all over the world. At the conference we held meetings, had lunches and dinners and created an atmosphere for connections to happen among the men and women who were reaching people for the Lord in the nations. After three days we had worked hard and long hours and were spent in the best way possible. The neat thing is that I felt like we had washed their feet. Not physically but in a figurative sense.
When you take care of others and serve them as you would the Lord I believe it is a humbling expression that God sees and His pleasure is on. He says in His word that when we have done it to the least of these we have done it to Him. Our expressions of service are precious to the Lord.
Have you ever had your feet washed or had someone wash your feet. How did that experience effect you?
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