The Parable of the Foot Rub

How could I possibly serve others when I don't know if I have anything to give?

“Jesus washes the feet of His disciples” by AlidaBothmaArt

Hello my dears. Happy fall. I hope you are filled to the brim with peace and pumpkin spice and pretty fall leaves and pNo stress about midterms.

Ha. Alliteration. Get it.

Anyways, service has been on my mind often as of late. In the last few weeks, I have been the recipient of pure Christlike service, which has inspired me to examine how I can serve others. With my perfectionist tendencies, “serving” translated in my brain to “being everything for everyone all the time”.

Which, I can sweetly say out of personal experience, is NOT the move.
Sustainable: Nope
Enjoyable: Absolutely not
A slay: Not particularly

This led me to a question, should I even try to serve if I feel like I don’t have anything to give in the first place?

This poem came to mind, teaching me a lot of things that I had learned earlier in Nauvoo. What deepened my understanding of service, however, was this scripture in 1 Thessalonians 2:8:

8 So being affectionately desirous of you, we were willing to have imparted unto you, not the gospel of God only, but also our own souls, because ye were dear unto us.

What did I learn from this? Paul was SO good at loving. He served those he taught, not because he trusted in his own ability, rather he trust in the Lord’s ability to heal and help those he loved. All he had to do was give them his love, as imperfect as it was. And I can do the same. After all, it was never about me in the first place, huh? We can serve, we can take care of ourselves, all because we know what role Jesus Christ plays in all of it.

So here you go. Enjoy :).

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There is something to be said about the sacred nature of observing one who is in dire need of assistance selflessly serving another. 

Picture this:
A missionary, struggling with shin splints so bad he can hardly get out of bed in the mornings, 
Rubbing the feet of another. 

The one who has every right to bemoan his state, complain about his trial, grumble and gripe, 
Serving. Serving simply and selflessly

And another:
A dear sister, rubbing the sleep from her eyes as she massages her companion’s feet late into the night. 

Exhausted from the day, yet still she serves. 
Simply and selflessly. 

And perhaps, the best of all:
Jesus the Christ, the Savior of Mankind, stooping down,
Gently and lovingly cleaning the feet of His disciples.

The very being who molded the earth and painted the stars, 
Serving. 
Serving simply and selflessly. 
For after all, when we are in the service of our fellow beings, we are in the service of our God. 

So, continue to rub those feet even as you rub the sleep out of your own eyes.
Continue to smile at that stranger. 
Continue to love those you can’t imagine you’ll ever be able to forgive. 
Continue, even when no recognition is given whatsoever. 

And God, who sees that simple, selfless service in secret, will reward you. 
Openly.

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Love you all. Take care of yourselves this week, and help the Lord take care of those you love.

Live laugh love.

Love always,

Anj