Today's TEDTalk comes from author and journalist Carl Honore. I first heard about him from another blog writer that i follow and LOVE his idea about our need as a society to slow down. We try to do things so fast that i think we sometimes miss out on life and the little things that are around us.
Carl wrote a book aptly named, "In Praise of Slowness", if you have a chance to pick it up you should. I haven't had a chance to read all of it yet, but what i have read i have appreciated and have been extremely challenged by it.
Enjoy!
What can you do to slow down?
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
#20 On washing feet (delayed post from Saturday)
I don't know about you, but i hate feet. If you stick your feet on me or my pillow you'll actually see tears welling up in my eyes. No joke. They gross and freak me out. Weird, i know, but it's there. I've gotten better at it through the years (like you can touch me on my legs or kick me with your feet and i won't freak out, but don't ask me to give you a foot massage because i'll run the other way.)
Because of this hatred of feet i always had an issue connecting with the passage in John about Jesus washing his disciples feet. I mean, think about it. They all walk in sandals, in the dirt, probably not the best hygeine so they stink and are nasty and probably have all these crazy sores and ingrown tonails all over them. Yuck! And what does Jesus do? He doesn't just wash one pair of feet and then say, "ok, your turn Peter, go wash Matthew's feet now." No, instead he washes the feet of ALL 12 disciples. I mean, really??? Gross!! Just the thought of that much foot odor and toe jam makes my stomach churn.
But apparently God decided i needed a little lesson in the foot washing department today. Never fails, you comment that you absolutely hate something and God takes that and uses it as a lesson.
My lesson came because my wonderful Grandma (who i absolutely adore!) had hip replacement surgery a few weeks ago. Thankfully she's home and healthy, but her first week home she needed people to stay with her just to make sure she was ok. My mom did most of the week, but i took Friday night to go and sit with her. I thought i was just hanging out, keeping her company and getting things for her in hard to reach places. I didn't realize that the getting things part of that deal also included her feet. She couldn't get down to wash them. So bright and early Saturday morning the dear old gal sheepishly broached the question of me washing her feet for her. To be honest, i don't think she knows about my deal with feet (if she is reading this i guess she does now). I'm almost positive she would not have asked if she had known, because that's just who she is. But there it was, this ominous question hanging over me and i had to make a decision. I'll admit that the thought was making my trusty gag reflex kick into high gear and i wasn't sure i would be able to handle the task. But my love for my grandmother over-powered my fear and so i sat there, on the floor, and washed her feet.
It was then that it hit me that God was teaching me a lesson. There are dirty parts of us that i'm sure God hates so much that it makes him cringe and want to puke. We all have those disgusting parts whether we care to admit them or not. But God's love for us over-powers the hatred for the dirty, diseased areas of our lives to the point where he is willing to come and get in between our spiritual toes and clean out all of that spiritual toe jam and dirt.
Wow.
I think that made me get over my fear of feet just a little more. If we are to love like Jesus loves, we have to be willing to get messy, and fight our fear and disgust, and come out on the other side where our love over-powers the messiness.
Grandma, i will wash your toes any day!! ;)
P.S. If you want to find the passage about Jesus washing feet it's in John 13.
Because of this hatred of feet i always had an issue connecting with the passage in John about Jesus washing his disciples feet. I mean, think about it. They all walk in sandals, in the dirt, probably not the best hygeine so they stink and are nasty and probably have all these crazy sores and ingrown tonails all over them. Yuck! And what does Jesus do? He doesn't just wash one pair of feet and then say, "ok, your turn Peter, go wash Matthew's feet now." No, instead he washes the feet of ALL 12 disciples. I mean, really??? Gross!! Just the thought of that much foot odor and toe jam makes my stomach churn.
But apparently God decided i needed a little lesson in the foot washing department today. Never fails, you comment that you absolutely hate something and God takes that and uses it as a lesson.
My lesson came because my wonderful Grandma (who i absolutely adore!) had hip replacement surgery a few weeks ago. Thankfully she's home and healthy, but her first week home she needed people to stay with her just to make sure she was ok. My mom did most of the week, but i took Friday night to go and sit with her. I thought i was just hanging out, keeping her company and getting things for her in hard to reach places. I didn't realize that the getting things part of that deal also included her feet. She couldn't get down to wash them. So bright and early Saturday morning the dear old gal sheepishly broached the question of me washing her feet for her. To be honest, i don't think she knows about my deal with feet (if she is reading this i guess she does now). I'm almost positive she would not have asked if she had known, because that's just who she is. But there it was, this ominous question hanging over me and i had to make a decision. I'll admit that the thought was making my trusty gag reflex kick into high gear and i wasn't sure i would be able to handle the task. But my love for my grandmother over-powered my fear and so i sat there, on the floor, and washed her feet.
It was then that it hit me that God was teaching me a lesson. There are dirty parts of us that i'm sure God hates so much that it makes him cringe and want to puke. We all have those disgusting parts whether we care to admit them or not. But God's love for us over-powers the hatred for the dirty, diseased areas of our lives to the point where he is willing to come and get in between our spiritual toes and clean out all of that spiritual toe jam and dirt.
Wow.
I think that made me get over my fear of feet just a little more. If we are to love like Jesus loves, we have to be willing to get messy, and fight our fear and disgust, and come out on the other side where our love over-powers the messiness.
Grandma, i will wash your toes any day!! ;)
P.S. If you want to find the passage about Jesus washing feet it's in John 13.
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