FEET. This has been the topic on my mind for
sometime now – ever since the last women’s retreat at which I spoke up in
Denver. While it is such an honor to be
asked to talk about what I’m learning, personally, during my day-in-day-out
walk with Jesus, I was given an additional privilege. I got to assist with pedicures following
lunch right up to dinner. Pedicures are
divided into two parts: 1) Washing, exfoliating, caring for cuticles, and
filing toenails; and, 2) Massaging, cleaning toenails, and painting. I got to do Part 2.
sometime now – ever since the last women’s retreat at which I spoke up in
Denver. While it is such an honor to be
asked to talk about what I’m learning, personally, during my day-in-day-out
walk with Jesus, I was given an additional privilege. I got to assist with pedicures following
lunch right up to dinner. Pedicures are
divided into two parts: 1) Washing, exfoliating, caring for cuticles, and
filing toenails; and, 2) Massaging, cleaning toenails, and painting. I got to do Part 2.
The pedicure room is robust
with conversation. Just by virtue of the
theme topic over the course of the week (story-telling), the ladies came ready
to share their stories. Nothing seems
more vulnerable to me than sticking my foot out for someone to massage. I’m not exactly sure why. Maybe because feet get so dirty? Or maybe, because they take the brunt of wear
and tear, and come dry and cracked? Or,
could it be because (let’s face it) feet are just so ugly? And, don’t forget the fact that, often, when
we slip our feet out of our shoes, they stink! Maybe, it’s all of the
above. So, it just seems that if you’re
risking sticking your foot out to place on someone’s lap, the walls are already
broken down. Seldom did we engage in
small talk. Nope. Those ladies just jumped right in and shared
their stories. The good, the bad, the
sweet, the sorrowful. I LOVED IT! What a gift!
They entrusted ME to hold the tales of their lives, and they will never
leave my heart. There, they will be
locked for eternity, along with their faces (long after their names have left
my already quick-to-forget-memory).
with conversation. Just by virtue of the
theme topic over the course of the week (story-telling), the ladies came ready
to share their stories. Nothing seems
more vulnerable to me than sticking my foot out for someone to massage. I’m not exactly sure why. Maybe because feet get so dirty? Or maybe, because they take the brunt of wear
and tear, and come dry and cracked? Or,
could it be because (let’s face it) feet are just so ugly? And, don’t forget the fact that, often, when
we slip our feet out of our shoes, they stink! Maybe, it’s all of the
above. So, it just seems that if you’re
risking sticking your foot out to place on someone’s lap, the walls are already
broken down. Seldom did we engage in
small talk. Nope. Those ladies just jumped right in and shared
their stories. The good, the bad, the
sweet, the sorrowful. I LOVED IT! What a gift!
They entrusted ME to hold the tales of their lives, and they will never
leave my heart. There, they will be
locked for eternity, along with their faces (long after their names have left
my already quick-to-forget-memory).
Of course, the passage that
kept creeping up as I attempted to tenderly massage lotion into those feet and
legs was a well-known passage from Isaiah 52:7, “How lovely on the mountains are the feet of her who brings good news, who
announces peace and brings good news of happiness, who announces salvation, and
says to Zion, ‘Your God reigns.’” What a descriptive passage for these women –
women who live and work in tough places.
At that conference 36 countries and 39 mission organizations were
represented. A large percentage of these
women work in countries where missionaries are prohibited, so they come in
under work visas, hoping to bring the good news of happiness, share the gospel
of peace, and announce salvation. These
are difficult places to serve. They are
places where the enemy of darkness reigns and fights hard against them. You can only imagine how tired they are when
they come home after living under this cloud of heaviness, and the threat of
being caught for who they really are.
What a blessing to hug their feet, and provide a physical means of
relaxation, if only for a few minutes!
It was humbling and inspirational.
I was moved unlike I’ve ever been before. I can almost understand why Mary wept at
Jesus feet and dried his feet with her hair.
If I could have I would have!
kept creeping up as I attempted to tenderly massage lotion into those feet and
legs was a well-known passage from Isaiah 52:7, “How lovely on the mountains are the feet of her who brings good news, who
announces peace and brings good news of happiness, who announces salvation, and
says to Zion, ‘Your God reigns.’” What a descriptive passage for these women –
women who live and work in tough places.
At that conference 36 countries and 39 mission organizations were
represented. A large percentage of these
women work in countries where missionaries are prohibited, so they come in
under work visas, hoping to bring the good news of happiness, share the gospel
of peace, and announce salvation. These
are difficult places to serve. They are
places where the enemy of darkness reigns and fights hard against them. You can only imagine how tired they are when
they come home after living under this cloud of heaviness, and the threat of
being caught for who they really are.
What a blessing to hug their feet, and provide a physical means of
relaxation, if only for a few minutes!
It was humbling and inspirational.
I was moved unlike I’ve ever been before. I can almost understand why Mary wept at
Jesus feet and dried his feet with her hair.
If I could have I would have!
During our “debrief” at the
end of the week, we were asked to create a project that would represent that
opportunity of service for us. I’m not
crafty. Not without some idea or picture
to follow. However, I had taken a lot of
pictures of “feet.” I couldn’t take
pictures of the faces of these ladies, lest they be seen somewhere in
connection with a missions organization, but
I could their feet. My project was a collage of a few of these pictures. Then I tried to summarize some of their
stories. Next week, I’ll share my
project. For this week, ponder with me
the verse in Isaiah about feet. Then remember
this verse in Ephesians 6:15, “…and having
shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace…” Part of the armor of every Christian is to
first receive a spiritual pedicure. Before we slide our feet into our sandals, we
must prepare our hearts to share the gospel.
Are you ready to take the gospel next door, to the mall, or, maybe,
somewhere to the ends of the earth? Are
you prepared with beautiful feet? Or,
does the going tire your feet before they ever leave home? Are they a bit frightened to move and ground
to the floor? Let’s find a place for a
pedicure today… Even our feet can be beautiful feet!
end of the week, we were asked to create a project that would represent that
opportunity of service for us. I’m not
crafty. Not without some idea or picture
to follow. However, I had taken a lot of
pictures of “feet.” I couldn’t take
pictures of the faces of these ladies, lest they be seen somewhere in
connection with a missions organization, but
I could their feet. My project was a collage of a few of these pictures. Then I tried to summarize some of their
stories. Next week, I’ll share my
project. For this week, ponder with me
the verse in Isaiah about feet. Then remember
this verse in Ephesians 6:15, “…and having
shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace…” Part of the armor of every Christian is to
first receive a spiritual pedicure. Before we slide our feet into our sandals, we
must prepare our hearts to share the gospel.
Are you ready to take the gospel next door, to the mall, or, maybe,
somewhere to the ends of the earth? Are
you prepared with beautiful feet? Or,
does the going tire your feet before they ever leave home? Are they a bit frightened to move and ground
to the floor? Let’s find a place for a
pedicure today… Even our feet can be beautiful feet!
