God has been shaking my life during the time that we’ve been in Guatemala. He is bringing me out of comfort zones that I’ve been so safe inside, He’s humbled my heart, and has shown Himself in everyone and everything around me. Johnny was the proof of all of this.
This past week we hit our regular spot on the streets of Guatemala to hang with our youth friends. During our time out here we play cards, bingo, paint nails, color, draw, and build relationships. One of the other things that we bring are utensils to wash the feet of these young men and women. I knew immediately that washing feet was nothing I wanted to be apart of. As the day went on there were a couple people washing feet and God convicted me so heavily. I could not stop thinking about the concept and meaning behind the act of washing another humans feet. Jesus washed the feet of his disciples and did it with a loving heart. In the gospel of John, it displays a visual of Jesus washing their feet because he loved them and was encouraging them to do the same for others.
Suddenly God laid heavily on my heart that I needed to wash someone’s feet. I remember thinking to myself, “it seems as though everyone who wants their feet washed today has already had them done, so what now God?” I then said a prayer,
“Lord, humble my heart and if you truly want me to wash someone’s feet you will physically have to put a person in front of me right now.”
Now I know never to test God, but in this instance I was in need of Him to visibly show me what He needed me to do. Five minutes later, Johnny sat in front of me and requested his feet to be washed. I immediately jumped on the opportunity to clean his feet and had a spirit of peace over my whole body. As I sat down and took off this socks, I witnessed 15 years of life in the streets that this man has lived, residue of water from soaking socks that never have a chance to dry, and fungus that overtook his two feet completely. I have never seen feet that looked like his. My heart sank for a second as I pondered how someone’s feet could get so horrible and painful. I wrestled with myself and was ashamed for ever saying that I would never wash feet like this.
God wrecked me in that moment and gave me a glimpse into Johnny’s life. He allowed me to pray over this man and his pained feet and for his spirit to be restored in Jesus alone. I prayed that he would have joy and when I looked up at his eyes he was grinning from ear to ear. This was by far the most humbling moment I’ve experienced on the race. Who am I to say that I am above washing someone’s feet? How is that like Jesus? God has revealed so much to me through Johnny’s feet washing alone. It was such a beautiful conversation and time between myself and The Lord. He set up this divine interaction, and I pray that He continues to take me out of my comfort zones because that is where we truly learn to rely on God.
