There is an act I detest at this stage in life and that is shopping for a dress. With age, comes a different body composition; perhaps thicker in some places than in my younger years. For me this makes looking for a dress burdensome and discouraging. However difficult, this season has also been teaching me a deeper lesson about Christian service and humility.
The irony of this pesky task is I used to love finding and wearing dresses. My favorite pastime looks different in my rearview mirror than today. Alas, I am in a season which requires multiple dresses for a momentous occasion; my son’s wedding. Even though there is much excitement for gaining a beautiful new daughter-in-love, it doesn’t negate the way I see myself in dresses.
Unanticipated a couple of weeks ago, a friend reached out asking me to accompany her to a boutique event in a quest to help me procure some of these dresses I needed. Her enthusiasm was catching and she turned the dread into a fun experience for me.
As if this blessing wasn’t enough, she took another day off to help me find a dress for the Wedding. At the department store, she was so interested in finding styles and colors which were flattering and suited me. She was my own personal concierge; going back and forth, bringing me different dresses/sizes, zipping me up, and taking pictures. This dress shopping experience turned into such a beautiful moment for me; having this sweet friend serve me in such a special way gave me pure joy.
Her intentional act of servanthood got me thinking about the significance of Jesus’ death on the cross; His goal to serve. Jesus also taught his disciples the significance of being served by Him when He washed their feet. He had to serve us on the cross to make us clean; giving us forgiveness, healing, mercy, grace, and eternal life with Him.
“Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave— just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” Matthew 20:26-28
While we are called to serve others in our various life transitions, I believe Jesus humbles us to also accept being served by the body. There are times in our lives where we may be incapacitated emotionally or physically. Our natural instinct is to say “We are good” when asked by others who want to help us.
I admit I am much better at serving than being served. Often, I shy away from help because I don’t want to be a burden, it feels like too much attention on me, it might expose my weakness, pride and ego can get in the way, and I might feel silly asking for support.
Peter, a disciple of Jesus, was also not keen on receiving service from Jesus. Peter saw Jesus as royalty and one who shouldn’t have to perform tasks of a hired hand. I can relate to how Peter reacted to Jesus when He wanted to wash his feet.
Peter, along with the other disciples, spent many days on the road following Jesus. In biblical times, men wore sandals on their feet while traipsing these dirt-ridden town roads. It was customary for them to remove their sandals when entering a house; a servant would typically wash their filthy feet. During the last Passover supper with Jesus, no servant had been secured for this task.
In typical Jesus fashion, “He got up from supper, laid aside His robe, took a towel, and tied it around Himself. Next, He poured water into the basin and began to wash His disciples’ feet and to dry them with a towel tied around Him.” (John 13:3-5)
Peter was aghast. He tried to stop Jesus from washing his feet. Peter thought his role was to serve Jesus, not the other way around. But Jesus said to Peter, “If I don’t wash you, you have no part with Me.” This was a lesson for Peter to realize Jesus had to die on the cross/shed his blood so Peter would have the opportunity to be clean. Jesus told Peter: “One who has bathed doesn’t need to wash anything except his feet.” (John 13:6-13)
Jesus has served all of us by making us clean through His crucifixion on the cross when we accept this gift of mercy and grace. Our “dirty feet” are made clean through our belief in Him and His act of service. With this gift, He calls us to love and serve like Him and to accept “foot washing” by others.
What does this look like for each of us in modern-day? If someone offers to take you dress shopping, say yes. If someone offers to bring you a meal, say yes. If someone offers to come pray for you, say yes. Honestly, when we reject service, we often steal the blessing of allowing the other person to serve.
It is in Jesus’ example that not only do we learn how to receive but to also serve others in their time of need. It is in zipping up zippers and encouraging others that God can plant and water seeds. We should walk our path with open hands, ready to give and to receive.
