Washing of Feet………..

“Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.” John 13:3-5

     I went to get a pedicure today.  Before I ever got in the chair, the girl wanted to know if I wanted my eyebrows waxed.  I said no, not today. What she should of said was what she ultimately meant….you NEED your eyebrows waxed. LOL:-)  So, I left with eyebrows that looked sunburned before it was all said and done.  Being tortured wasn’t my goal when I walked in….
     Anyone who knows me, knows I like to be pampered. I’ve been like that since I was a little girl.  It is so comforting to me to have the least little touch ~ my hair brushed, my back rubbed, my hands manicured, facials…..really most anything.  But, to have my feet washed, massaged and manicured is truly something that brings me much relaxation and relief from discomfort.  And, while I have been sick, it has allowed me to escape some of the pain and sickness I am feeling even if it is just for that little while.  
     I don’t know about you, but having someone wash your feet is a very humbling and intimate moment. There is something about showing someone my feet that makes me feel vulnerable.  And yet, when they begin the washing, I become completely at ease.  Today, my experience was a little different.  One that left me feeling even more humbled.  One that left me feeling as though I  saw the inside of someone’s heart.  One that left me feeling more loved, blessed and amazed at God’s love for me.  You may be thinking…really?  all this while getting a pedicure?  come on, you’re laying it on a little thick.  But, I promise you, I truly felt all of those things while sitting in that chair, having my feet washed, and listening to this man’s heart and soul.   He had no idea how much he was touching me…..he was just sharing who he was, things he had learned …..things that God knew would touch me.  
     I am trying to remember the first comment that he made when I realized he was a sensitive soul.  It was early on in our conversation….I specifically remember thinking those exact words…that he has a sensitive soul.  I can’t remember his words, but it was a fairly simple comment.  As our conversation continued, all of what he shared and how he shared it continued to confirm his sensitivity. He started telling me about a client he had when he lived in Arizona.  He talked about how she was an amazing women….she was 67….lived on a ranch, road horses, bread award winning German Shepherds and road a Harley…..:-) He talked about how she wanted to give him one of the puppies. He said he loves dogs and would have loved one. He knew what a loving gesture that was on her part….but, it wouldn’t be fair to the dog.  He is always working…..it wouldn’t get the proper care it needed.  He talked about a dog he had that passed…..how he loved his terrier mix.  Once that dog died, he couldn’t bring himself to have another. The dog saved him once from drowning.  His eyes became teary.  He continued talking of Ms.Arizona…..how she said her dogs were all she needed now. She had been divorced twice and she was done with marriage.  He said she told him no offense to him, being a man and all.  :-) She didn’t think all men were like that, but she was done.  He said he told her….".you had a cross to carry twice….why do you still carry that cross around?  You carried it up a hill, now put it down.”  His words were soft and gentle.  
     Our conversation drifted here and there.  Sometimes with silence as he was washing my feet.  I don’t remember how the conversation started back up….but, he begin to tell me about his dad who had lived in Arizona.  He told me that he died with Pancreatic Cancer. My heart sank.  I told him that I suffered with a pancreatic disease….not cancer, but, something that is difficult to treat.  I told him that I would be having my pancreas removed.  He told me I was lucky.  He shared how quickly his father became ill….how he was in so much pain.  He told me how every night when leaving work, he would say….I have to go home….I have a very special client whose feet I must massage. …every night, he would rub his father’s feet to relieve his pain while his brother would rub his back.  He told me how his father called all of the children in as well as his mother ~ he said his father’s eyes "became wet"….he wanted to tell them goodbye.  He began to rub my feet the way that he would rub his father’s feet….showing me the pressure points that help relieve pain. As he continued to talk about his father, his eyes "became wet”.  He told me about how another client, not long after his dad had passed, gave him a book. The book he said made him happy for his father…..made him see things differently.  What book?…..The Shack.  He said the lady didn’t want the book back…..she just wanted him to pass it on to someone else……he was the sixth person it had been passed to…..he passed it to the seventh.  He told me how every night before they would go to bed, his mother would gather everyone around the living room, and they would all pray together.  He said those things are what matters.  He said he knows money is very important, but some people forget…..think too much about money.  That reminded him of his time in Key West……..no one is in a hurry ….people are so kind…..so laid back. He said I would love it there….I guess he picked up on a few things about me too. :-)  I asked where is mother was now.  He said still in Arizona.  He said he wanted to stay with her after his father passed, but, his mother encouraged him to leave….. to get out and learn……experience things.   And then, the silence came again…..as he seemed to be lost in his thoughts…..as I was lost in all that he had just shared.   
      Wow….I got a lot more then I bargained for when I walked into that place. I had no idea that I would experience the inside of someone’s heart….that I would see someone’s soul…..that I would be touched by this man’s spirit.  I had no idea that God was planning to reach down at that very moment in time in that place to say….Hey I’m still here…….never will I leave you.  I had no idea that while my feet were being washed, my eyes would also "become wet.”  And, just as I walked in ~I walked out…knowing that something powerful had just occurred but not knowing how deeply until I was alone…….alone with God.
     “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” John 13:7
     “ When He had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. ‘Do you understand what I have done for you?’ He asked them. ‘ 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 you an example that you should do as I have done for you.  I tell you the truth, 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 13:12-17
    This Sensitive Soul was literally washing my feet.  But, more importantly, He was washing away my doubts….my fears.   Just before I left to get that pedicure, I had become upset and fearful about the issues that would come with doing the surgery.  I was letting doubt set in once again.  But, once again, God was right there….reminding me of who He is….reminding me that He is here with me.  I begin to remember that if I didn’t have the surgery that I would live in constant pain and sickness….that I would probably develop diabetes as the disease progressed…..that I had a 50%  increase of getting Pancreatic Cancer.   My time with this Sweet Soul reminded me of how awesome and powerful God is….that He is faithful, loving, and above all else, the one in control.   I made the statement that I wish someone would wash my feet every night the way Sweet Sensitive Soul did for his dad.  He said, if someone loves you enough they can and will do anything.  He was right…..God loved me enough to be the one there washing my feet today.  I can’t imagine anything being more sweet then that.  I pray that God will bathe that sweet man’s spirit in His peace and comfort…..just as He used him to do for me.  I know that there will come a time that God will say to me the words that Sweet Sensitive Soul said to Ms. Arizona….."Why do you still carry that cross around…..you carried it up a hill…..now put it down.”