John 13:13-15 Jesus, after washing the feet of his disciples:
“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 an example that you should do as I have done for you.
This verse was played out quite literally at our church.
A few years ago, the police department in our city called a meeting of local pastors to ask for help housing the homeless during the winter months. They said that there was funding to take care of homeless children, but for the adults, there was no program that was available.
Many churches answered the call to join this project, and it was decided that each church would be responsible for housing and feeding the homeless within their facility for two-week periods. Then the responsibility would rotate to another church.
Well, our pastor volunteered our church to be the first one to undertake the task. Wow, did the congregation step up! There were many rules and regulations to follow, which required dozens of volunteers, and people gave up their time and resources to make it all happen.
This was all brand new to us as a church, and many wanted to participate. My friend, Connie (she gave me permission to use her real name), was very enthusiastic and said, “When I think of the homeless, I want to do their feet.”
I heard her say this, and I paused, not even knowing what she meant. So, I said, “Their feet.” Not a question, just a mirror of what she said.
“Oh, yes, I just think of their feet, and I want to do feet.”
Now, I have to admit that I didn’t understand this at all. It had never occurred to me to think of their feet. And, like I already reported, I didn’t know what she meant – but SHE knew, and God knew.
As the planning progressed over a few weeks, Connie began to doubt whether she was on track with this desire or if she was being silly. A dear elderly lady in our church heard her talking about this, and she said, “OH, yes, their feet are terrible, they are just awful. They need help with their feet.”
So Connie was determined to “do feet.” (I still didn’t know what she was going to do.)
On the first night the program began, 2 men came to our church seeking shelter. They received the royal treatment of good food, safety from the cold, beds to sleep in, and a place to clean up. All the while surrounded by warm, kind, loving people.
After supper that evening, Connie walked down the hall to the Sunday School rooms where they would be spending the night. One of the men, Bobby (not his real name) was standing outside the door of the last room on the left.
“I’m here to do your feet!” Connie said with a big smile. How could he refuse? They went into the room, and she soaked his feet in a solution and then put some over-the-counter medication on them. She was very discreet about what she did because she didn’t want to embarrass him, and I had to ask her for some of the details in order to find out exactly what she did.
She realized that he needed to have more aggressive medical attention because his feet were in a condition that could have led to infection. With her insistence, he arranged a doctor’s appointment through social services and received a prescription. She went every night for 2 weeks, soaking his feet and applying the cream to them. (What a servant!)
After Connie had treated his feet the first night, Bobby asked her, “Who told you to come take care of my feet?”
“Nobody told me to do it, I just wanted to do it on my own.” (You and I both know that God had told her to do it!)
This man clearly needed help caring for his feet, and Connie set aside self-doubt and fear of ridicule to ACT on what she felt the LORD was asking her to do. She served someone whom God assigned to her for that season. Amazing.
She became friends with Bobby and kept in touch with him for about two years after this. He got an apartment and a job, and she got to see him progress in his life. Her family invited him to holiday get-togethers, and he was included in other family activities.
What is God asking you to do?? What is holding you back?? Are you afraid that you will look silly because no one else seems to have the same vision? Are you anxious because you don’t know if you can really do the thing God is leading you to? Do you feel untrained or inadequate? Is it that you are not sure if it is really God’s voice you are hearing?
Be willing to step up and step out!
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