Dirty Feet

Before I begin my blog post: if you feel like you need a pick-me-up I recommend reading this great blog post done by a girl who is going to my same mission! Her name is Kelsey Davis and she graduated from BYU as an English Major... so her writing is stellar. Enjoy :)

http://crackermuffin.blogspot.com/2014/06/great-people-do-things-before-theyre.html

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Dirty Feet.

My baby sister loves the outdoors with a serious passion that has the whole family worried (because who knows if she will find a way to get outside without us knowing!?). She spends a lot of her time out in the drive way, tramp, and everywhere around the dirt. When she finally accepts to come inside happily her feet are filthy. Noticing her dirty feet I feel inclined to take her up to the bath and wash them for her because she can't really do it herself.

I thought her feet were gross, until I found out what the New Testament 12 Apostles feet conditions were. In those times it was normal for some people to go for a month without bathing. On top of that, there were animal droppings, improper shoes, and dirt everywhere. If you were a person of certain status, you would have your servants washing your feet. This job was considered one of the lowest, dirtiest, grossest job to have to perform.

John 13:13-14 is after Jesus cleans his disciples feet. I never thought much of this until my class and finding out the context of their "dirty feet". Picture this: The King of Kings, the creator of worlds, the Savior of all, The Prince of Peace, The only perfect person to ever walk this earth... doing the worst job in the
world.

....why? 

In these verses Jesus teaches "ye call me Master and Lord and ye saw well: for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet, ye also ought to wash one another's feet."

This story could easily be a lesson on service and helping those around us, because Jesus didn't hesitate to do the worst jobs to help others; However, as I pondered this event I realized this could tie into The Atonement.

The Highest of The High, Goes The Lowest of the Low. 

A person who was perfect, spotless, and was not guilty of the punishments of each of us (or the dirtiest of our feet so to say) but stooped down so low and took all the blame and punishment for us if we would repent, so "our feet" can be clean. This story became much less a story about 12 Apostles, and much more a story about me. If I trust in the Savior and repent, He truly can take the dirtiness and misery away from my life. He can make me clean again, just as clean as I was when I came out of the baptismal waters. The fact that The Savior did this for us doesn't just make a small difference in our lives like cleaning feet. The fact that the Savior did this for us makes all the difference because He cleans our souls.

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