Are Your Feet Washable?

“[Jesus] got up from supper, and laid aside His garments; and taking a towel, He girded Himself.

 

Then He poured water into the basin, and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded….

 

Peter said to Him, ’Never shall You wash my feet!’

 

Jesus answered him, ’If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.’” —John 13:4-5,8 NASB

It’s easy for me to be judgmental of Peter. I’d like to think that I would quickly have submitted to the Savior with His basin and towel. But, truthfully, I probably would have done the same thing Peter did.

Letting someone serve us can be a very humbling experience. We Americans seem especially prone to this mentality. We are so self-sufficient, so individualistic, so proud of our independence that we often open ourselves to undo stress, depression, anxiety, and other ailments simply because we refuse to ask for help.

We feel embarrassed to allow someone else to “wash our feet,” to open ourselves to such vulnerability, to feel needy. In my case, it took a heart attack to show me the depth of my fierce independence.

Not until I was truly helpless did I realize how entrenched my pride and self-sufficiency had become. I was comfortable in the role of nurturer, but I balked at allowing others to nurture me. Today I am still learning the art of allowing others to “wash my feet,” but I am finding the blessing that comes when I do.

By humbling myself and admitting my neediness, I open myself to grace from God and His people, and I experience freedom from the prison of my ego. I challenge you to do the same!