Dirty Feet

This weekend while I was on duty with Emerald, she and Jack assisted me with some yard work. I can’t say who was the greatest helper, but both added a special something.

Yard work helpersJack stood guard (er… sat guard) and Emerald provided the sound track, giggling and squealing over her discoveries: shriveled leaves, broken twigs, acorns, garden rocks. We didn’t accomplish a whole lot but did enjoy a satisfying hour together.

I couldn’t help but notice the baby’s beautiful skin against the rough ground and especially her sweet little feet, so soft and (so far) of very little use. But what struck me most on our gardening day was that her feet got dirty for the very first time.

Dirty feet.Sitting in the ivy, swiveling this way and that, her feet repeatedly rubbed against the soil, getting filthy. Her toenails had never had dirt under them before, and both Birgitta and I have loved kissing those clean feet to get her giggling. After our yard work, her feet looked like the rest of ours, and it wasn’t a good look for her.

I looked at my own feet, knowing they don’t look really clean even after they’ve been washed. And then I thought of Jesus, who washed the dirty feet of his 12 main men, despite most of them being old, worn out feet, probably gnarly, stained, and ugly.

The reason he did it was twofold: (1) to demonstrate the importance of humility, hoping the men would one day follow his example with others; and (2) to let them know that humbling themselves would bring blessing back to them.

SNM128510It wasn’t easy for Jesus to do what he did with the disciples’ feet that night, especially with his thoughts so focused on the excruciating hours of torture immediately ahead. But this last lesson from Master to students was important enough that not even the closeness of the crucifixion could dissuade him, which is why it’s such an important lesson for the rest of us, too.

As I sat Emerald on the edge of the kitchen sink to wash her feet, God gave me a sweet thought: “Emerald could be literally painted in mud, and you wouldn’t love her any less, would you?”

Jesus washed 24 big, smelly feet (including those of his betrayer) with a humility that verified a love so great, it can’t be explained. Though I’ll never be able to love to that depth, I can stand in awe of his great love, and think about that night when the Master put himself beneath his servants to make an incredibly important point: to humble oneself is to show love.

Jesus said, “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.(John 13:16-17)

“In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us.” (1 John 4:10)

It’s very simple.

Nelson.Our son Nelson just arrived home from 5 months of travel through Cambodia, Laos, and Thailand, following God’s lead and listening to his instructions. I’ve been keeping up with him through his blog (www.NelsonNyman.com). His recent post was too good not to share with you, so below is the second half of it, slightly edited.

Nelson has always been candid about his life, even the “bad” parts, and the story he tells is evidence that God skillfully uses all of it, whenever we’re willing.

He wrote this on one of his last nights in Thailand while attending a global missions conference in Chiang Mai:

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I was sitting on the roof of the guesthouse taking a few minutes to process the day, when a man came out of his room and sat down next to me. He set down his pint of whiskey and initiated a conversation.

“Where are you from? Where have you been? Where are you going next? What are you doing in Thailand? Is [YWAM] a Christian organization? Are you a Christian?” The questions usually follow the same line until that point.

“Yes, I’m a Christian. Are you?”

A few people aren’t happy with this question, some are indifferent, and some say they’re Christians, too. This guy told me he thought it was great and that he was also a Christian.

“How is your relationship with God?” I asked. It’s interesting to hear how people answer that.

“Relationship?”

“Yea. Do you talk to God? Does he talk back? And what about Jesus?”

This guy had a gentle demeanor, and asked, “What does it mean to talk with God? How many requests can you ask for in your prayers? Is 2 too many?”

I told him how God reached out to me through the program of Alcoholics Anonymous and freed me of belligerent, out-of-control drinking nearly 7 years ago.

“Seven years?!” he said, looking shocked. “No drinking that whole time?”

“Yup.”

“Impossible.”

“Totally possible.”

Eventually, he told me booze was destroying his life, that he wanted to quit, and that he knew God had sent me to him. I told him there were AA meetings in Chiang Mai and that I’d take him to one, if he wanted. He agreed, took a huge tag off his bottle, stood up, and went back to his room.

I’d never been to an AA meeting in Chiang Mai but got online and sure enough, there were lots.

The next day, the guy wasn’t interested. Surprise, surprise.

Chiang Mai Alcoholics Anonymous Clubhouse

But then the thought hit me, “Why don’t you go? It sure couldn’t hurt.” So I did. And sure enough, there were all these alcoholics in an old-school, 1940‘s-style room, slamming coffee, reading from AA literature:

“Alcoholics Anonymous is a fellowship of men and women who share their experience, strength and hope with each other that they may solve their common problem and help others to recover from alcoholism.”

After being reminded of that, I thought about it a lot. AA is a fellowship with a common vision. Christians are, too.

God reaches out to people any way he wants. He always meets us where we are, whether at an AA meeting, on a roof with a stranger, or attending an international Christian conference. In any and all places, he offers the solution to the problem of sin. And when he does, he wants all of us to reach out to others.

So it’s much simpler than I make it. Instead of asking what I can do for God, I should just remember what he’s already done for me, and simply give that away.

“…Freely you have received; freely give.” (Matthew 10:8)

 

 

Wealth Management

This weekend our church held its yearly “Trash and Treasure” sale. Prices are unbeatable: appliances $3; blankets $2; jewelry $1; dishes 50 cents; books 25 cents; mugs 10 cents. One woman claimed she shopped for all her children’s clothes each year at our event.

Shoppers

It might be a good idea to rename the sale, “Trash to Treasure,” since buyers tote bags full of “cast-offs” out the door wearing broad smiles of triumph. My several bags were filled with toys, children’s books, a clock, a blanket, and games to play with my grandchildren.

Royal mug

I also bought a dark green coffee mug edged in gold that says, “By Appointment to His Majesty The King of Sweden.” Fabulous.

The old adage that one person’s trash is another’s treasure is entirely true, evidenced by the amount of stuff that disappeared from the church tables yesterday. But that statement also applies to intangibles that can’t be pulled from attics, basements, or garages. Consider the valuables of prayer, devotional time, Bible study, discussion of scripture, church services, anticipation of heaven. These, to me, are treasures too, but not everyone would agree. Amazingly, some folks would actually label these “trash”.

I know a man who declares himself an atheist. He has no interest in the Word of God and doesn’t have any use for information about how to be “saved from sin.” Attending worship services is a waste of his time, and thoughts of heaven (or hell) are laughable. Prayer and Bible study? Only for those who aren’t strong enough to manage life without some “religious component” to lean on.

My treasure is his trash.

Advertising

And just as we at the church posted a sign out front advertising the upcoming sale, signs advertising spiritual treasure are all around this man. His choice, though, is to bypass them without checking to see if what they’re advertising might be of some value. Maybe he did investigate earlier in life, but if so, his choice was to place other things ahead of the Father, Son, and Spirit on his list of life-treasures. Actually, he chose to leave them off the list entirely.

But that’s the key: he chose.

All of us get the chance to choose, and as a result, we have to take responsibility for the consequences. If we don’t study the Bible, however, we don’t know what the consequences are. I’m praying for the soul of my atheist acquaintance, because God has said he doesn’t want even one person to miss out on the treasures he offers, which include riches beyond our imagining.

The atheist is right about one thing, though. Oftentimes I am weak as I travel through life’s struggles, and I do need “a religious component” to lean on. His name is Jesus Christ….

….and he’s the greatest Treasure of all.

“Serve the Lord alone. But if you refuse to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve.“ (Joshua 24:14-15)