Do You Have Beautiful Feet?

by Jeri Johnson

A The Kids & Me Contributor

Recently in my Wednesday morning Bible study, I participated in a foot washing

service. When my teacher first announced the service, I had a sense of apprehension.  I looked around at the other ladies in the class.  They all wore sandals that displayed perfectly pedicured feet complete with polished toenails.  I, on the other hand, had not had a pedicure and was wearing sneakers.  I told myself that, while the other ladies were preparing, I could quietly sneak out the back unnoticed.         

I immediately felt a spirit of conviction.  I remembered that this service was not about me; it was about Jesus.  If I did not participate, I would not only miss out on being blessed as someone washed my feet and prayed for me, but I would also deny someone else the blessing of washing their feet and praying for them.  Jesus gave us an eternal lesson when He washed the disciples’ feet in John 13.  While we generally do not need our feet washed in this time and culture, we do need to imitate Jesus’s spirit of humility and servitude.         

Think about how different Jesus’s ministry would have been if He focused more on His needs rather than the needs of others. Jesus walked wherever He needed to go. John 4:4 said that He needed to go to Samaria.  That is where He encountered the woman at the well and told her that He could provide her with living water.  Imagine if He had not gone because of a broken sandal strap. What if He had not raised Lazarus from the dead because of a bad hair day?                                   

Jesus faced much more serious challenges than issues with His hair and wardrobe. Those challenges included temptations by Satan and attempts on His life.  But He remained focused on His mission. We should do likewise. Let us not be so self-absorbed that we are blind to the needs of others.  And let us not forget the Great Commission  that Christ gave the church. If we really want beautiful feet, let us use those feet to go and tell someone about the saving power of Jesus Christ.  Isaiah 52:7 says “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who proclaims peace, who brings glad tidings of good things,  who proclaim salvation, who says to Zion ‘Your God reigns.’”