Becoming a good foot-washer

Gary and I were married on October 7th, 1999. You would think that I would have chosen a wedding photo to crown this, our first blog posting. Unfortunately, when we got married, digital cameras were just starting to become popular. Thus, we actually have our wedding photos stored on NEGATIVES (some of you might be too young to know what these are). So, this explains the photo of us on vacation in Canada a couple years ago (you can't really upload images from negatives to the web).

Sometimes Bible stories can be a bit hard to understand. It's kinda like me trying to explain to Riley, our 8 year old godchild, what negatives are, and how we used to have to load cameras with film. She might not understand that the pictures didn't just magically appear on the camera screen. You actually had to take the film to the store to get developed before you could see the picture. She might not be able to relate.

When we read in the Bible in John 13:5 that Jesus "poured water into the basin, and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel with which he was girded", we might not quite understand foot-washing. At first it sounds a little gross. Like Riley, we might wonder why in the world God in human flesh took it upon himself to wash the feet of his friends. Today we don't want most people touching our feet (unless we're getting a pedicure, right ladies?). So what is this all about? What does this story have to do with us? Is it outdated? Irrelevant?

No.

In 1st Century Palestine, the people wore sandles, and they walked everywhere. Their feet got pretty dirty. My Bible commentary tells me that washing someone's feet was a menial task normally performed by a servant.

Aha. God acted like a servant when he washed dirty feet.

Jesus tells his friend Peter, "If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. for I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you."

A marriage thrives when each spouse seeks to become a really good foot-washer. In order to become proficient at something, we have to practice it, we must do it over and over until it becomes easier. Serving one another doesn't always come naturally. Taking dirty and smelly feet into our hands isn't always fun either. But, one of the hallmarks of a great marriage, is one in which each person seeks to out-serve the other.

Questions for discussion:

1. Why is it so hard to become a good foot-washer?

2. What are some roadblocks to serving your spouse (too much tv? over-worked? too tired?)

3. What is one practical way you can wash your spouse's feet today?