serving

I want to share an experience with you that I had while in Israel last March. Our group took some time to go to the Dead Sea. I made the decision that I wasn’t going to go ‘swimming’ but would wade. One of the other women in our group, a wonderful gal, had made her mind up she was going to go in. She was a trooper. An older woman, she sometimes struggled with walking. I helped her walk down to the water’s edge and then after she was done, helped her walk back to the bathing house to change her clothes.

While she was changing, I was waiting, sitting on a bench outside the changing room. I was brushing the sand off my sandals and feet. I noticed a woman, who was cleaning the bathroom, coming out towards me. My first thought was…”Oh my gosh…she’s probably upset with me for cleaning the sand off in this area.” But she motioned for me to come in to the sink area. She picked up a 2 liter bottle of water and before I knew what was happening, she bent over and took off my sandal and washed my foot. She didn't just pour the water over my foot but she took her hand, rubbed the top, bottom and all my toes to get the sand off. Then she washed my sandal. She repeated the whole process with my other foot.

I was so touched and humbled. It was such an act of servanthood. And she did it with absolutely no expectation of anything in return. I gave her a hug and walked away filled with a sense of God’s love for me.

The fact that I was in Israel, where Jesus lived his life and washed his disciples’ feet, was not lost on me.

I wonder how many times I have missed an opportunity to “wash someone’s feet”? I want to learn to be so aware of how Jesus wants me to serve others. How is He asking me to humble myself and yield my ‘rights’, my ways, my desires to put someone else’s needs first?

Think about how He might be encouraging you to reach out to someone else….to ‘wash their feet’. Then, take a few moments to consider not just pouring the water over them but getting your hands dirty as you go above and beyond to meet their need.

Blessings,
Deb