The Ultimate Washing

Bath times are a big deal in our home! The boys LOVE the water. They love the splashing and swimming (of course to them that is what it is when they can lay down and move their limbs like a fish!) and playing and being naked - and sometimes even doing their laundry (Isaiah is all about doing what I do, so of course, he needed to do the washing in his own way!). There is so much that must remind them of the womb - being surrounded by a cushion of liquid - warmth and nourishment.

God has made water to be such a crucial part of our lives. He fashioned us to be brought forth from a womb filled with water; He had the earth covered in it before undergoing six days of creation; He used it to cleanse the earth from sin when Noah built the ark; He had John the Baptist baptize Jesus in the river; Jesus turned water into wine. One amazing moment, that stood out the most to me, was Jesus kneeling before his disciples with a basin filled with water to wash their feet. "He got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him." (John 13: 4-5) The Maker of Heaven and earth, in one of the most humblest of positions - the position of a servant, washing another persons feet.

I could not help but take notice of the fact that Jesus chose the feet. It was not the head or the hands or any other part. It was the feet. Of what importance are the feet? Why did the feet get so dirty and be in such a need to be cleaned? I think it has something to do with what Paul spoke about in Galatians when he mentioned the "feet fitted with the gospel of peace." Our feet take us places. They represent who we are. And if we are going to be bringing the gospel of Jesus Christ to the nations, then we need to be pure and clean - holy as our Heavenly Father is holy (I have heard that explained to me in the best way: Obey God in all that He reveals to you.).

"Thank you, LORD, for the sweet reminder of what water represents and how You have used it in so many ways. Let me not be afraid of it, nor the boys, but let us gladly drench ourselves in the water You have provided to cleanse us from the inside out."