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)

Going to War

This morning I met with my prayer group in our weekly effort to bring 200+ requests to God for his answers. Because we make an effort get the job done before morning moves into afternoon, we try to be efficient, though never sacrificing Spirit-led diversions from having their way.

We categorize according to illnesses, revival, church concerns, career problems, missions, community services, and more. We also pray for our government and for the military, including any in our congregation on active duty.

Soldiers in combat

This morning as one of the ladies prayed about war zones and soldiers, my thoughts wandered to that familiar old aphorism, “There are no atheists in foxholes.” It originated in the 1940’s and implies that everyone who finds themselves under extreme stress will seek the help of a higher power.

Army rucksacks used to include pocket New Testaments as an encouragement toward that higher power, but in recent years they’ve been eliminated. Maybe there just isn’t room anymore, with everything else a soldier has to carry:

  • rifleMilitary rucksack
  • ammo
  • food rations
  • water canteens
  • batteries
  • body armor
  • helmet
  • first aid kit
  • grenades
  • notebook & pen
  • maps
  • 2-way radio
  • compass
  • GPS
  • flak jacket
  • gloves
  • ear plugs
  • goggles
  • weapon cleaning kit
  • book of local language

And that’s just the first 20 items. Depending on the mission, there might be many more. The goal is to protect our fighting men and women as thoroughly as possible, although the weight of these supplies often reaches 100 pounds.

But what if a soldier said, “All that stuff just weighs me down, so my plan is to leave it behind when I go into battle. I’ll be able to run faster and stay energized longer without that extra 100 pounds, which is a more sensible way to fight.”

We’d all argue against that, but in life’s spiritual battles, for those of us waging war against temptations every day, we often do exactly that. Ephesians 6 details a supply list that offers sure protection:

  • belt of truth
  • body armor of God’s righteousness
  • shoes prepared with the gospel of peace
  • shield of faith
  • helmet of salvation
  • sword of the Spirit
  • the Word of God

When we lose a battle, we should immediately take inventory of our fighting gear. Did we forget to bring (or purposely leave behind) our protective equipment?

Camoflage New Testament

It’s a shame New Testaments have been eliminated from standard military supply, though the 20+ items soldiers do carry are sure to help them. But for those of us not currently in the military, it’s that same New Testament that contains the only effective supply list that will help us conquer our enemies day-to-day.

And it weighs far less than 100 pounds.

“We are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:12)

Caring and Sharing

People can learn a great deal from animals. For instance, today I read a news story about a dog being abandoned in front of an animal shelter on the 4th of July. The shelter was closed for the holiday, but a police officer saw a cardboard box and the small dog tied to a nearby pole, so he investigated.

Doggie nursing kitties

When he saw two tiny babies in the box he wasn’t surprised until he realized they weren’t puppies but kittens. The dog jumped in with them, and they began nursing from her. When the officer turned them over to a foster pet home, the foster mom promised to keep them together until the kittens were weaned. She also complimented the dog’s actions: “All she knew, she was a mother, and these were babies, and they needed her.”

This story appeals to us because we project human characteristics onto animals who are behaving well. Experts tell us dogs and cats operate on instinct not reason, but sometimes we wonder. This dog’s unlikely behavior blurs the line as she overcame specie-obstacles to feed and care for animals that weren’t “of her kind.”

Polite at the pan

I often see the same blurred lines between instinct and reason when I watch two of our family dogs, Jack and his cousin Sydney. To see them greet each other down a road or across a stretch of beach is to watch a demonstration of pure joy as they run together to sniff, lick, and circle. They don’t even balk at sharing the same food bowl, politely taking turns eating together, a fine example of sharing.

Syd and Jack

Humanly speaking, sharing with others isn’t always easy. We may offer something to another, but our heads might be thinking, “There won’t be enough for me now,” or “She’s taking the one I’d wanted.”

As soon as children can speak, one of their favorite words is, “Mine!” spoken while yanking a toy from another child. When we get older, we squelch our “Mines!” but oftentimes they’re rumbling just below the surface. Because of this, when my kids were young we memorized Hebrews 13:16. I needed it as much as they did: “To do good and share, forget not, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.”

Young children don’t especially care about pleasing God, but the rest of us ought to be thinking about that. It’s interesting that Scripture labels sharing as a “sacrifice”. God wants us to know he recognizes how difficult it is, and that, of course, is the whole reason our sharing pleases him well.

I don’t think the dog in the news considers it any big deal to care for those two kittens; she’s just genuinely happy to help. But strange as it may sound, I think she’s getting some special credit with God.

Paul wrote, “Just as a nursing mother cares for her children, so we cared for you. Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the Gospel of God but our lives as well.” (1 Thessalonians 2:7-8)