Not sure if I have ever said this aloud, and
I feel a little weird announcing it here, but I am
not particularly enamored with my feet. Now, I
do appreciate their service. They have been
good to me for 56 years (for the most part).
They are healthy and strong. They carry me
everywhere I go, whether walking, running,
operating a vehicle, or the like. But I just don’t
like the way they look. In general, I believe,
feet can be nasty. They hang around in shoes
and sweaty socks all day, and they are
difficult to clean. Not complaining here, just
being transparent about my feelings. My feet
are not my favorite thing. Ugh.
In James 1:22, James writes, “But be
doers of the word, and not hearers only,
deceiving yourselves.” In typical James
fashion, he goes straight to the point—
knowing what we are supposed to be and do
is all well and good. But if we are not living out
what we are supposed to be and do, knowing
about it ultimately does not matter. In fact,
James declares that doing so is deception. It
is living a lie. John has something to say
about that, too, in 1 John 4:20, “If anyone
says ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is
a liar.” Sounds pretty clear to me.
Back to feet. It was in the context of
washing the nasty feet of the disciples that
Jesus taught them who they were supposed
to be, and how they were expected to live in
relation to one another and others. Jesus
intended for them to imitate his life of service
and care for others. He intends the same for
us—that we follow him in putting into action
what we know we are supposed to be and do.
Plain and simple.
–Ricky
