Works In Progress

An honest insight during trying times – and aren’t all times trying in some way? Deb also points us in the right direction, feeding us with abundant Bread.

Christian Truths 101
My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.

“God, where is this satisfying life you promised? I’m surviving on credit cards,” I prayed. Deep down, I knew to experience abundant life I had to fully trust God, and I wasn’t. I was afraid—afraid to reach for abundant life and fail and then to face God’s anger and punishment.

At the root of my fear were deceptions I had accepted as truths. So after nearly 30 years with the Lord, God put me back in Christian Truths 101.

Truth #1: God is love (1 John 4:8), and perfect love casts out all fear (1 John 4:18). To believe God is just counting the minutes until he can punish me is to totally misunderstand the character of God.

Truth #2: Apart from Christ, I can do nothing (John 15:5). In my own power, I will never live the abundant life. It is God’s grace and power that enables me.

Truth #3: In Christ, I have both the ability (power) and right (authority) to rule over the powers of darkness (Luke 10:19). Satan has no power or authority over me, but tries to deceive me into believing he does.

Truth #4: I must learn the truths of the Bible in order to recognize and refute deceptive thoughts (2 Corinthians 10:5).

Through these truths God has dispelled my fear. Joy is healing my wounded heart, and I am free to trust God unreservedly. Additionally, my stories are selling. A rich and satisfying life is mine, not through my own striving but by wholeheartedly following Christ.

Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. (Ephesians 3:20, NLT)

A powerful insight and gentle challenge from my beautiful friend and sister in Christ, Afrika…

I wasn’t sure if I should speak. Everyone else walked to the Convention Center with their eyes to the ground, carrying their Bibles, basins, and towels without saying a word to anyone else. I didn’t want to interfere with the sobriety of the occasion so I kept quiet, too, and followed the crowd. I’d had five counseling sessions in preparation for my baptism a few days prior to this event, but no one really prepared me for this night. This would be the first foot washing service I ever attended, and I didn’t want to mess it up.

I was paired with an older White woman, and I was so nervous. I was an 18-year-old girl from an all Black neighborhood in Brooklyn attending college in East Texas. Even though we attended the same church, I couldn’t help but wonder how the woman felt about washing a young brown girl’s feet. I wasn’t even sure whether or not I should make eye contact with her. I took a chance and looked and her, and her smile and kind eyes put me at ease. The water was so cold, and I wasn’t entirely sure how long I should spend washing her feet. She must’ve sensed that this was my first time, so without saying a word, she took the lead, and this experience ended up being one of the most powerful and memorable times in my life.

I later learned that perfect execution of the foot washing ritual wasn’t the most important thing. It didn’t matter how adept I was at maintaining a quiet disposition during the ceremony, or whether or not I was able to keep myself from giggling while my sister-in-Christ washed my feet. The important thing was to focus on being of service to another believer, and to allow that person to do the same for me. In John 13: 1-16, Jesus surprised His disciples by washing their feet. This was typically something that a servant would do, which explains Peter’s strong reaction to having his feet washed by Jesus. Here, the humility that Jesus shows by washing the disciples exemplifies the true qualities of a Servant-Leader.

Considering that I had such a positive experience with foot washing, I have approached several of my Christian friends, and even church leaders to gauge their interest in establishing a similar practice. Very few people were interested, and I was very surprised. Some commented that we don’t live in a society where our feet get dirty from wearing sandals on dusty roads, so it was no longer necessary. Some said that they just don’t like touching other people’s feet while others expressed that they’re too ticklish to engage in something like that.

Although the foot washing example that Jesus set is not compulsory for modern Christians, it’s important that we explore as many ways to pattern our behavior after that of our Savior, even if it means stepping out of our comfort zone a little. It’s the least we can do in recognition of our Messiah who stepped out His comfort zone to save us. We may be pleasantly surprised by the impact it has on our relationships with fellow believers, especially considering that the world will know that we are His disciples by the love we have for one another.

While I haven’t had as much time as I’d like to have for blogging, I’ve simultaneously been running across many terrific devotional writers. The solution was so obvious it was literally a head-smacking moment. Why not invite these terrific friends to guest blog? Several of them graciously agreed. So over the next few weeks, and perhaps months, I’ll be delighted to share their well-written insights with you. I know you’ll be blessed as I was. I often prayerfully carry their thoughts around with me for days or weeks after reading them.

Write and let me know what you think…

Sandra