It was one of those days where you have the radio on but you’re not listening to a word that comes out of those half blown speakers.
I was driving down Martin Road in my own little world. I was thinking about all the crap I had to get done and how, "holy crap, I had only had 4 weeks left until I leave for an entire year."
and all of a sudden I hear some man with a deep, raspy voice on the radio station yell out, “forgiveness!”
The word seemed to ring over and over in my ears.
Okay…forgivness? God, I’m not mad at anyone.
So, I shrug it off and go back to my thoughts.
The sun was shining in my eyes making it hard to see the road and the cars ahead of me. So, I reached in the compartment above my head where I keep my sunglasses and instead of my Ray Bans I feel a piece of paper and I pulled it out. It read in bullet points:
“Do I really appreciate God’s forgiveness?”
“A person who has been forgiven much should love much.”
“I lack such qualities.”
“Why is it so hard for me to forgive when all you do is forgive me, Lord?”
(I wrote this stuff over a year ago!)
Okayy God. Forgive who? Whoo?
“Miranda, you’ve been trying so desperately to leave the past in the past but you can’t because you’re angry at certain people in your past.”
“You want to move on and enter a new chapter of your life and this is how you will do it. The next step only comes through forgiveness.”
“You have to forgive them.”
I went home sat on the couch and knew God was right.
Even though I had not realized it until God had brought it to my attention, I was angry at a person in my life that had hurt me, lied to me and used me.
Ughhh, God I hate this person. I hate what he did to me. How can I forgive him? He doesn’t even deserve it.
I HATE HIM!
I opened up my bible…Just one of those “Okay, God I’m going to flip through the bible because I don’t know what to read” Kind of night.
John 13
Jesus got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciple’s feet, drying them with the towel he had around him
. 
And while washing the disciples feet it says in the bible “Jesus knew who would betray him.”
His name wasJudas, one of Jesus's 12 disciples.
The man who basically nailed him to a cross.
The man who beat him to a bloody pulpit and left him for dead.
The man who betrayed him with a kiss.
The man who had shared years with Jesus and betrayed him for a small goodie bag.
And while knowing all of this, Jesus still got down on two knees held Judas’s feet in his hands and poured water over them gently scrubbing the layers of dirt away and then wiping them clean.
Jesus was taking his time to scrub the dirt off the very man who would murder him the next day..
Ummmmm…..WHATTTTTTT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!???????????
Jesus had so much forgiveness and love in him that he was willing to wash his own enemies feet.
If Jesus could wash Judas’s feet knowing that he would betray him, then I can start loving the people who have hurt me, lied and misjudged me. I can forgive the people who have left me high and dry and the people who have used me.
Man, I can only imagine having to get down on the floor and to wash their feet and to take my time like Jesus did
To be utterly stripped from any kind of pride and to be completely humble like Jesus was.
To love those people like Jesus loves them no matter what they have done to me.
"But there is pride in my heart, God. When someone has hurt me all I want to do is write them off, embarrass them like they have embarrassed me, accuse them, and point fingers."
"Instead you’re telling me to wash their feet?"
“Miranda, Judas’s feet have not been the only betraying feet I have washed clean.
I have also washed yours!
Forgive because I’ve forgiven you and will always forgive you.
Love because I’ve loved you and will always love you.
Go and wash their feet."
Love and forgiveness go hand in hand
