Feet Washing

I was very lonely and emotional during the first part of my summer vacation. I'm not totally sure what brought about these feelings so strongly, but I was pretty miserable for a while. I began crying out to God, asking Him to give me a purpose and to fill me up with Himself. One night in particular, I was pretty upset. I couldn't explain why I was so unhappy and I had no idea what to do about it. I opened my Bible and just couldn't get into 1 Samuel, which is what I had been reading for my devotions. So, I wandered over to the New Testament. These are the verses that stood out to me:

"If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you. Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him. If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them." ~John 13:14-17 KJV

"Ok, Lord. I get it." I knew that I had to get my focus off of myself and instead focus on being the servant that He has called me to be. And, I knew in my heart the person whose feet I symbolically had to wash; my mom's. I have no idea if she even noticed a difference in me after that. To be honest, she probably didn't. But, I know in my heart, that my attitude changed. I completed the tasks that needed to be done with a feeling of love and respect for her that I didn't demonstrate in the past. I know I still have a lot of growing to do in this area, but I am headed in the right direction.

The most amazing part? Those unexplained, overwhelming feelings of loneliness and sadness are replaced with joy! Oh, I know that I will still feel lonely or sad at times; that's life. But, God reminded me to keep my focus on Him.

The way I see it: Feet washing isn't so bad after all!

A Beginning

I was saved at age seven. That was a looong time ago. And, while forgiving me of my sins and saving me is the most important thing God has ever done for me, He continues to work in my life every day. He does so much for me and teaches me so many things, and I don't want to forget them. I thought this blog might be a good way for me to remember and if you are reading this, then I hope it will be a blessing to you as well.

God's Word is filled with so many promises and He faithfully keeps each one. However, one of the things God never promised was that life would be easy and filled with exciting, fun things. But, last night I was reminded again that God often chooses to bless his children in special ways that are unexpected and undeserved. Even though something may be trivial in light of eternity, if it matters to us, then it matters to Him. I entered a writing contest and had the opportunity to win a new IPad. This is certainly not something I need, but it is something I did want. Thank you, Lord, for giving me patient, loving and supportive friends who voted for me, and thanks for letting me win!