washing feet

When Keith comes home from work, our children run to the door to open it for him and give him hugs and kisses. He grins widely and tosses them in the air as we all rejoice to see one another. (I sneak in some hugs and kisses too.) Then our little ones sit down and help their daddy take off his big work boots while they tell him exciting things about their day or whatever is on their minds.

One day, after helping Keith take off his boots per the usual routine, Rilla asked him to sit down on the couch. She proceeded to get a bowl of water and a washcloth. Much to our mystified amazement, she then washed her daddy's feet.

Because the washing of feet is to us, as to many Christians, a sacred ritual replete with meaning, Rilla's actions completely stunned and blessed us. Eventually, I remembered that there had been a scene in The Nativity Story, which Rilla had watched with us on Christmas, wherein Mary washes Joseph's feet as he leads them on the long, dusty road to Bethlehem. I think that must have been where she got the idea.

We've since shared John 13 with Priscilla and talked a bit about what a beautiful thing it is to be a servant, and how Jesus loves us and serves us. She likes the story, especially Peter's response, and yet it almost seems that in some way, she related to it and understood Christ's gentle servanthood even before we began sharing the story with her. Far from finding it odd that Jesus showed His love by washing the feet of His disciples, she responded as if it were perfectly normal, as if it made perfect sense to her that we would serve one another in that way.

I don't mean to read too much into it. And yet it surprises and humbles us to see this small, beautiful girl (and her brother too, because he joins her in everything) choose of her own volition to establish such a sweet little act of servanthood out of the beauty and grace in her own dear little heart. It has happened a few times since then - and she has washed my feet too - and every time, it is such a simple, beautiful reminder of what servanthood really looks like in the everyday.