Feet

I used to be married and one of the nicest things my wife did for me was to give me an occasional pedicure. I guess because they're at the other end of my body from my eyes I never noticed what poor shape my feet were in. They certainly get rough looking over time! She used to encourage me to use the pumice stone in the shower and put lotion on them but that seemed like such a hassle. She warned me that I couldn't expect them to look good all of the time if I relied on her only occasional attention.



Tonight our small group will meet to discuss chapter 17 of "Discipleship Essentials" by Greg Ogden. The chapter on Love. Part of the reading was John 13 where Jesus is spending the last night on earth with his disciples. To teach them about loving servitude he poured a basin of water, got a towel and began washing the disciples' feet. I love this picture of Jesus and I don't know why. I have read it for years but lately it's drawing me in. There is something here that grabs my affections. I smile at Peter's brash pride when he puffs up and says, "No, you shall never wash my feet!" That's me. Totally oblivious to what the Saviour is teaching. The book proposed that showing love through serving may be easier than receiving loving service from someone else. It's easier to hear from a friend how helpful my act of service was. It feeds my pride. To be served is altogether humbling. Archbishop William Temple said, "Man's humility does not begin with the giving of service; it begins with the readiness to receive it."



One time I was injured in a silly trampoline accident. Playing with a friend's 4-year-old I tried a move he just completed forgetting that my 43-year-old body might not respond like his. I remembered the tingle in my arms and fingers as I hyper extended my cervical spine. I had no permanent damage but wearing a hard cervical collar for 6 weeks made me think. What if I had been injured? What if I sustained a spinal cord injury and became a quadriplegic? What if someone had to assist me with all my hygiene needs every single day? I remember thinking if that were to happen I would want my wife to leave to find another mate who wasn't disabled. It was unbearable to think of requiring that kind of service day in and day out. I'm embarrassed to admit this because I think it's a reflection of my own shallow idea of love.

Suddenly I realized my buddy Ches was leading the discussion tonight. What if he reads this lesson and gets the bright idea that we're to wash each other's feet? I ran to the bathroom and grabbed the foot file, cuticle nippers, nail clippers and lotion. I headed out to the back deck to repair a few years worth of damage in 20 minutes or so.