Debrief was a time for our squad to be together in Ho Chi Minh City during our first week in Vietnam. It was a time to rest and reflect on our journey thus far, as well as to pray about and discuss intentionally where we want our hearts to be for the next chapter. It was a week filled with worship on rooftops, local market explorations, honest conversations, and a daily intake of fruit smoothies, Vietnamese coffee, and pho. Yum!
Every bit of our time together was blessed. I loved waking up to the chaos of the city – the surprisingly coordinated mass of motorbikes that raced through narrow streets, bundles of electric wires weaving through trees, and the smiles and giggles of locals. I loved being able to pour into my brothers and sisters through prayer, encouragement, and spending time together. Most of all, however, I loved seeing the men on our squad unite to honor us women.
During one of our nightly worship sessions, each team stood before the entire squad, and the men affirmed and blessed their sisters on the team. I was consumed with God’s joy and delight as I heard each group of men speak truth and life into the women on their team, encouraging them to continue to step into the beautiful, strong, and capable people that God made them to be.
I was not prepared, however, for the emotion that would follow the way in which my brothers on Team Joyful Feet honored us.
Tyler, Tim, and Ryan washed our feet!
As they wiped off the day’s filth and grime from the soles of our feet, I felt and experienced what Jesus did for His disciples – all of them, whether friend and loyal follower or betrayer.
As they spread oil over our feet with gentle care, washing the dirt away with splashes of warm water, and carefully drying each toe with a towel in their lap, I saw the perfect humility that Christ displayed in clothing himself with our filth, in the physical act of wiping dirt on his mere loin cloth and in the eternal sacrifice he paid for us on the cross.
With every movement, there was profound love and humility. It was an act of total surrender and servitude.
I love that our brothers honored us in this way, loving us whole-heartedly, not because of anything we did to deserve it, but because Christ loved us first.
I love that our brothers honored their sisters as precious daughters of God, and I delighted in imagining how unspeakably blessed their future wives will be, knowing that their husbands loved their sisters this way.
I connected with my God on a beautifully intimate level through their act of service. I felt in my bones what an infinitely greater act of humility it was for God to not only take on human flesh and walk the earth with His children, but to stoop to be a servant of men, cleansing us from our filth and wearing it on his own body. Even more, he humbled himself to death, taking on the filth that covers our souls, and suffering hell so that we could walk in freedom, love, and showers of grace.
Every bit of our time together was blessed. I loved waking up to the chaos of the city – the surprisingly coordinated mass of motorbikes that raced through narrow streets, bundles of electric wires weaving through trees, and the smiles and giggles of locals. I loved being able to pour into my brothers and sisters through prayer, encouragement, and spending time together. Most of all, however, I loved seeing the men on our squad unite to honor us women.
During one of our nightly worship sessions, each team stood before the entire squad, and the men affirmed and blessed their sisters on the team. I was consumed with God’s joy and delight as I heard each group of men speak truth and life into the women on their team, encouraging them to continue to step into the beautiful, strong, and capable people that God made them to be.
I was not prepared, however, for the emotion that would follow the way in which my brothers on Team Joyful Feet honored us.
Tyler, Tim, and Ryan washed our feet!
As they wiped off the day’s filth and grime from the soles of our feet, I felt and experienced what Jesus did for His disciples – all of them, whether friend and loyal follower or betrayer.
As they spread oil over our feet with gentle care, washing the dirt away with splashes of warm water, and carefully drying each toe with a towel in their lap, I saw the perfect humility that Christ displayed in clothing himself with our filth, in the physical act of wiping dirt on his mere loin cloth and in the eternal sacrifice he paid for us on the cross.
With every movement, there was profound love and humility. It was an act of total surrender and servitude.
I love that our brothers honored us in this way, loving us whole-heartedly, not because of anything we did to deserve it, but because Christ loved us first.
I love that our brothers honored their sisters as precious daughters of God, and I delighted in imagining how unspeakably blessed their future wives will be, knowing that their husbands loved their sisters this way.
I connected with my God on a beautifully intimate level through their act of service. I felt in my bones what an infinitely greater act of humility it was for God to not only take on human flesh and walk the earth with His children, but to stoop to be a servant of men, cleansing us from our filth and wearing it on his own body. Even more, he humbled himself to death, taking on the filth that covers our souls, and suffering hell so that we could walk in freedom, love, and showers of grace.
When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.” (John 13: 12-17)
Whether man or woman, follower of Jesus or not, I encourage you to consider who Jesus is and what effect that has on who you are, how you act, and how you love. He has shown us that we are dearly beloved, that there is nothing we could do to make him love us more or less. He has shown us that we are free and cleansed in him, that nothing hinders us from an unspeakably wonderful relationship with him. He has given us more love and grace than we could imagine, allowing us to overflow with his love in order to spill that into others. In Him, there is FREEDOM like no other – freedom to love and serve and bless, knowing that we are always loved and served and blessed by Him, no matter what people on earth do or say to us.
Just as he explained that no servant is greater than his master, I pray that we would be eager to follow his example, knowing that we are so unworthy of having such a task.
Today I challenge you (and myself) to follow his example, as my brothers did, and serve the people around you with loving and humble hearts.
