Learning to Recieve

(This is something I wrote a couple of weeks ago)

I sat and had my feet washed today…it brought a thought to me. It was a little bit uncomfortable…you know my feet are not the most beautiful example of podiatric symmetry, cleanliness…basically after years of soccer I’ve got feet that are pretty beat up. I’ve lost toenails I don’t know how many times and my feet have been stepped on countless more times. Anyways, I felt a little awkward…so of course I let the dude from the AIM team wash my feet instead of the girls. Anyways, I was so involved in myself, and even if my feet were beautiful feet it still would have been a bit awkward for me. I want to relate that to the radical love of Jesus. I’m not so sure, well actually the more I think, I’m pretty sure we’re not ready to receive that kind of love. We don’t know what to do with such a love, it is an invasive love, it brings things to light, it disciplines (whoa, yeah I said it, it is true) it is a love that forces you to do something, it is a love that takes you for a ride, it is a love that changes everything, and change is uncomfortable, it is a love that forces you outside of yourself, it is a love that asks to be copied, to be reflected. Just as those guys washing my feet was an example of what Christ wants to do for us and did do for us…Christ’s love is so radical, it is uncomfortable at times, it does not makes sense, it is beyond ourselves…I love saying that -- beyond me, bigger than me -- for me to be a part of and truly receive that love and life…I need to step beyond myself, outside of myself…I need to let go so I can truly receive Christ’s love. How much do we miss, how much do we let slip by because we are concentrating on ourselves. We serve a great God, a God that does things that others wouldn’t even think of…he is a creative, improvising, innovative and usually an opposite God…he does things different, can we receive that, can we reflect that, can we let go and walk where he asks us to go??? It may be to hold a baby that has been left for dead, it may be a teenager that is reckless and hurting, it may be to a person that has wronged us…what looks like an impossible situation, a situation that can’t work, may be just where he wants to take us…Like our Savior, our God, Jesus washing the disciples feet, can we humble ourselves and do something so totally radical in this crazy world...I really think it involves first being able to receive that radical love. Do I trust him, do you trust him? Receive, and then reflect baby!