What the World Needs
5:30 am is a daily battle. I would rather sleep a little longer. But over the past few months, I have learned that the greatest discoveries are not found in a comfortable bed - they are found outside, in the discomfort of exercising and exploring. This has become a time of conversation as a family, or a time to talk to God and listen to music if I am walking alone.
About a month ago, it was raining, so I ventured out alone as Megan did a workout at home and did not have to take Annabelle out in the pouring rain. The pre-exercising and no excuses Mark would have said, “It’s raining, I can do everything tomorrow or later today if it is not raining.” Then I would just not do the walk for that day or maybe even longer.
On this morning, the rain made for dreary skies, and I had to have the umbrella sideways because of the rain. The birds sang loudly through the rain, and there were other animals, such as squirrels, skittering about. It was truly a remarkable time in the countryside that I would have missed if I had just hit the snooze button.
During this time though, something else happened, as I was reminded of a verse from the book of John. The verse was from chapter 13, verse 7, as it says, “Jesus replied, 'You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”
This single verse cannot be missed. At this moment, Jesus was with his disciples, and the disciples were, what I say, a bit confused and unsure what was going on. Jesus was washing his disciples' feet, an act that was not done by people of higher rank. This was a job assigned to servants at the time. Jesus wanted to show his humility, love, and challenge the conventions of authority and pride.
I believe my favorite part of the verse is the end, “…but later you will understand.” You must reach the entire chapter and story to fully grasp this single verse, but Jesus is saying the disciples did not understand the ramifications of the event happening and the true limitations of human understanding. What I mean by that is we often find ourselves in situations where an action may take place or a set of events, where we will question God’s purpose. We quickly ask God questions like, “Why me?” or “Where are you God?” or “How can you let this happen God?”
It is in these times that we have to put our anchor down, just as we do on a boat, and stand still on our faith. We have to allow ourselves to trust God’s plan. This is not easy, as God’s plan is not scripted for us, so we do not know what happens next. Sometimes it may take months or even years to fully understand why something happened.
This rainy walk with so much chatter of life around me made me think, “Am I living my life out to the fullest? Am I truly listening to the nudges of God?’ As you read in my July Blog, “Chapters,” if God nudges me twice, then I do it. I have lived by this since my birthday in June, and I encourage you to do the same.
Peter’s first reaction was, ‘No, you shall never wash my feet!’ That is often our reaction to God’s nudge, a protest against humanity or discomfort. But Jesus’s example calls us to silence our pride and serve. The world needs more feet washers and less selfishness for one's own good. The world needs more people answering the call to better others' lives and less greed. The world needs more people counting the hours with their spouse and children instead of endlessly working or doomscrolling in the other room.
I have to admit this is hard to achieve at first, but once you realize the growth in yourself and your family, it becomes a new way of life. You start looking forward to walking together as a family or sitting around the dinner table. Soon, you volunteer as a family to help feed the homeless, not as a chore but rather to make a difference in someone else's life. You become happier and healthier because of your newfound habits instead of what you would have been doing. We often claim we're too busy, but if we're honest about the hours spent on our phones or watching TV, we realize we do have the time to walk stronger in our faith and be active. It is a matter of prioritizing.
You will not regret making changes, but give yourself grace and be disciplined. Find someone to hold you accountable and keep moving every day. Maybe your first 'feet washing' is an act of humility-turning off your phone to truly be present with your family. Maybe it is an act of service volunteering to help a neighbor. Maybe it is an act of obedience-exercising when you do not want to. Whatever it is, remember: You do not realize now what you are doing, but later you will understand.
What is going to be your first step?
XOXO
Mark