Vibrant Lives

  • Home
  • Blog
  • About
  • Contact
  • Inspiration Corner
  • Home
  • Blog
  • About
  • Contact
  • Inspiration Corner

Knees of Humility... By Denise Meyer

3/28/2017

2 Comments

 
Picture
When I was young, sometimes in jest, I would say something outrageous to get a reaction from my mom, Jennie. Most often, after giving me a very shocked look she would wag her finger and tell me not to say things like that because that was bragging.  She wanted her children to be humble at heart and with her quiet beauty and strength she epitomized the message that Jesus was showing his disciples about being a servant. He was clear as he offered; “Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet.  I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him” (John 13: 12b-16).  Jennie lived her life willing to give love and help anyone she met. In our family, there was always room at the dinner table for a visitor or there was plenty of floor space if someone needed a bed.

Jesus also opened his arms to people in need, regardless if they were rich or poor. In this gospel text, Jesus knelt to the floor, as a servant, to wash the feet of his disciples. Traditionally, in the first-century and actually even now in modern times, feet are seen as very dirty especially in the Islamic culture. I remember, when the people of Iraq were liberated from Saddam Hussein, they removed their shoes and used them to hit his statues to show their total disdain for him. It is considered one of the worst insults they can show someone. In the time of Jesus, it would have been the duty of a servant to wash the feet of a visitor, which is why the disciples, especially Peter, were shocked that their teacher or rabbi would perform such a lowly job. I believe that was the whole point of what Jesus was demonstrating; that they were not above serving others but were to be servants to all.  They were not to think of themselves as too good to serve people even if it meant getting on their knees to wash dirty feet.
 
This text has been a challenge for me even though it is my belief that the grace offered by Christ is the same grace we are to give others. Because of life experiences, I have struggled to rise above the restraints of abuse and be free to live unburdened by the chains of self-doubt. Thinking about being a servant, on my knees, is a very uncomfortable place for me. I truly want to be the hands and feet of Christ and follow his example to serve as he served. It is easy to understand how seeing Jesus at their feet, had to be a humbling experience for his disciples. Peter was so shocked that he told Jesus that he would never wash his feet. I can see myself in Peter. My instinct would be to tell Jesus to please get up from the dirty floor and let me clean my own feet. I don’t want to see Jesus humbled and on his knees. I have always imagined humility as weakness and vulnerability. But Jesus doesn’t see it that way as he responded to Peter by saying, “Unless I wash you, you have no share in me,” in other words unless Peter and I humble ourselves to serve others, and let me add, to be vulnerable, we cannot be servant as Christ was.
 
What the disciples continued to learn was that Jesus was different that any other religious leader. He came to serve and not to be served. He healed the sick in body, mind and spirit; he loved children and showed them they mattered; he listened to the weak and offered living water to the thirsty, and he fed thousands because they were hungry. He did all of this with great love and care unlike anyone the people had ever known. Being on his knees and washing feet did not make him weak but showed us all how we are to treat the least among us. Being a humble servant does not mean we are weak. Jesus was still Jesus when he stood up. He was God’s Son, a teacher and a leader and soon he would die on a cross as a Savior so that we might live. My mom loved Jesus and modeled his message of love and humility. She was strong when we were weak, she was humble yet proud and she gave me love even when she was shocked by my behavior. She followed in the footsteps of her Jesus and went to her knees to wash the feet of many. Yes Jesus, please wash, “not my feet only, but also my hands and head” (Jn 13:9).
 
 

2 Comments
http://www.bestessays-uk.org link
4/22/2018 04:46:48 am

I feel like I’ve been missing a lot as a catholic person because I failed to attend a Sunday mass regularly. This is considered as a sin, especially if you don’t have a right excuse why you have failed to make it. I feel so guilty because I used to attend Sunday mass regularly, and it made me sad to know that I've been missing a lot. By the way, thank you for this video, I've learned a lot! It motivates me to be back on my system and be the religious person I used to be!

Reply
Denise
4/22/2018 09:12:13 am

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. There are many reasons why I should have turned away from my faith mainly spiritual and physical abuse. It has taken me years to be free from the rules and expectations of what my parents, friends and churchgoers believe about what it takes to be a Christian. When I let go of all of my feelings of unworthiness and discovered what God means to me, I have found that God loves me for me and not because of anything I do. Once I accepted the free gift of God’s love and mercy my heart changed from the fear of God’s wrath and punishment to embracing that God created me with all of my flaws like impatience and an unfaithful heart. He also created me with a bunch of energy, quick wit, and a heart for the hurting. I am not a surprise or a disappointment to God and I am pretty sure my picture is on the Holy refrigerator. My prayer is that you find God for you and let go of what others think and feel. Because of God’s grace I want to go to worship and sing praises. Because of God’s mercy, I want to serve others. Because of God’s love, the words that I write reach out to those who are hurting to share the love of Christ. God’s peace to you. Denise

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    Denise seeks to empower people to live into their true potential...
                               Read More

    Archives

    June 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    July 2019
    May 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015

    Categories

    All
    Abundance
    Acceptance
    Adapt
    Adult
    Advent
    Adventure
    Alzheimer's
    Angelic
    Angels
    Art
    Attention
    Baby Jesus
    Baptist
    Beauty
    Belief
    Believe
    Belonging
    Be Still
    Betrayed
    Black Lives
    Blessed
    Blessing
    Bold
    Bounty
    Breathe
    Brithday
    Brokenness
    Build Together
    Call
    Captivity
    Caring
    Celebrate
    Challenged
    Champion
    Change
    Chaos
    Children
    Choice
    Christ
    Christ Child
    Christmas
    Church
    Community
    Comparisons
    Compassion
    Confidence
    Courage
    Creating
    Creation
    Creativity
    Crooked Lines
    Cross
    Crowd
    Crown Of Thorns
    Crucifixion
    Darkness
    David
    Dawn
    Decisions
    Delighted
    Denied
    Depression
    Determination
    Detour
    Disciples
    Discovery
    Divine
    Divorce
    Dry Bones
    Easter
    Empowered
    Equality
    Extravagance
    Eyewitness
    Failure
    Faith
    Faithfulness
    Family
    Father
    Fear
    Flame
    Forgiven
    Forgiveness
    Freedom
    Friend
    Fruits Of The Spirit
    Game
    Gift
    Gifts
    Gladiator
    Glorious
    Glory
    God
    God Given Gifts
    God-given Gifts
    God Moments
    God-moments
    God's Glory
    God's Love
    God's Timing
    Grace
    Grateful
    Gratitude
    Greatest
    Greek
    Handiwork
    Healed
    Heart
    Holding Space
    Holidays
    Holy Spirit
    Home
    Honor
    Hope
    Hopelessness
    Humanity
    Humility
    I AM
    Identity
    Imperfection
    Inside
    Isaiah
    Jesus
    Jesus Christ
    Job
    John 3:16
    John The Baptist
    Journey
    Joy
    Judging
    Labels
    Lent
    Light
    Liminal Space
    Lion's Heart
    Listen
    Lonliness
    Lord's Table
    Lost
    Love
    Love One Another
    Manager
    Manger
    Mary
    Matter
    Memorial Day
    Memphis
    Mended
    Mercy
    Messiah
    Messiness
    Ministry
    Mom
    Mothers
    Moving
    Music
    Mystery
    Nations
    Nativity
    Neighbor
    New Beginning
    New Birth
    New Day
    New Year
    Open
    Pain
    Paradise
    Parents
    Partner
    Peace
    Pentecost
    Persistent
    Perspective
    Potter
    Power
    Praise
    Prayer
    Preparing
    Presence
    Promise
    Psalm 23
    Purpose
    Pursuit
    Questions
    Radical
    Radio
    Randomness
    Remember 9/11
    Respect
    Rest
    Restoration
    Resurrection
    Risen
    Running
    Sacred Pit
    Sacrifice
    Salt
    Savior
    Scarsity
    Second Best
    See Others
    Serenity
    Servants
    Sharing
    Shepherd
    Shines
    Sibling
    Simon Of Cyrene
    Son
    Spirit
    Spirit Of God
    Spirit Of Love
    Stone
    Storm
    Storms
    Strength
    Suffering
    Suffering Servant
    Surrender
    Temptation
    Thankful
    Thanks
    Thanksgiving
    The Wall
    Together
    Tomb
    Tower Of Babel
    Traditions
    Transition
    Trauma
    Traveler
    Trinity
    Trust
    Understanding
    Undervalued
    Unfaithful
    Unity
    Unworthy
    Value
    Virus
    Vision
    Voice
    Voiceless
    Waiting
    Wandering
    Water
    Weeps
    Welcome
    Wilderness
    Wind
    Window
    Wisdom
    Woman At The Well
    Women

    RSS Feed

MENU

HOME
BLOG
ABOUT
CONTACT

COPYRIGHT © 2015 VIBRANTLIVES.NET

CONNECT WITH US