Feet.

Even though 40% technically means "Needs Improvement" in the school system, it was a significant number in my life today.  I officially placed 40% (like, 150 pounds at this point in the game...) of my weight on my left foot today.  And it was legal!  I have kind of been babying it for the last several weeks, but I bit the bullet, and decided to go for the gold today.  Not too bad.

You may think my thoughts on feet and shoes might be a little excessive, but I have been thinking a lot about them in the last few days.  I'm thankful that they are still intact, and that they work.  It was touch and go for a while...

Jesus has so much to say about what we do with our feet.  One of my favorites, (and one that I was reminding myself to practice this evening), comes from the book of John.  Which, by the way, is such a cool book.  If you've never really read the Bible, or you find yourself unable to understand it, or you used to read the Bible & now you can't remember the last time you cracked its dusty pages open, can I just encourage you to read the book of John?  It's somewhat towards the back...there's a table of contents in case you didn't know that already.

Many people know the story of Jesus' death, or parts of it anyway, (and you would be surprised how many people don't...) And many people know that he hung out with his peeps the night before he was taken in to start the whole (excruciating) process leading up to that death.  It's sometimes referred to as "The Last Supper".  We never did use the word "supper" in our house.  I think it's a weird word.  I like to call it His last dinner.

While they were eating, Jesus all of sudden gets up, takes off everything but his underwear, puts on a towel, and fills up a water basin.  He bends down to start washing his disciples' feet, starting with Peter, and Peter objects.  (I mean, it could be a little awkward, right?  It's hard to allow people to serve us in ways like that...)  Jesus replied with this:

“You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”
 
 “No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.”

 Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.”

“Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!”

Jesus answered, “Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.” For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean.

 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. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them."

My first response when I met Jesus was the same as Peter's.  "No!  I don't want you to do that!  I'm not willing to let you see that part of my heart, Jesus."  It's crazy-hard to allow Jesus to penetrate into the deepest depths of our souls.  

I've talked in church about how, culturally, washing feet was important - people accumulated a lot of dust and dirt throughout the day in Jesus' day.  Guess they didn't know about socks and tennies then.  But what Jesus was doing in this passage was taking on the position of a servant.  One that would wash the feet of the very person who is responsible for the beginning of a grueling and painful process, ending in death!  Can you imagine?  There aren't a lot of people in my life that have hurt me badly, but the few that have hurt me have done a good job.  In more ways than I think I know right now.  But to be like Jesus means to forgive those people before they even say sorry, if they ever say sorry.  To be like Jesus means to place ourselves, literally, below other people, not caring what the world may think.  It can sometimes be difficult to serve others, and it can be difficult to allow others to serve us.  But it's important to do both.

And what do you think Peter understands later in his life?  After Jesus has died, and after he remembers those words spoken to him on that night?  I'm not entirely sure because I'm not telepathic & I don't think you can speak to dead people.  But, I do know that Peter describes a lot of what he knows in the two books he writes.  In the first chapter of his first book he writes this:

"In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls."  1 Peter 1:6-9

There has been little on this journey that I have been able to deem "suffering", but even when there was, is, and will be suffering, I am so thankful for the continued faithfulness of my Father.  May it all result in the praise, glory, and honor of Jesus Christ.