Washing Feet

So, today I read John 13- the part where Jesus washes the disciples' feet.  This is an amazing story of our God coming down to serve us with a selfless love.  I also got to thinking about how symbolic it is of how Jesus washes away all of our mess-ups.  Even crazier to me is that when you think about washing someone's feet you don't always think about how the feet get dirty so quickly after being washed, kind of like we don't always think about how our sins are going to pop right back up in our lives after we ask for forgiveness.  

but Jesus knew the feet would get dirty again.  

and He washed them anyway, genuinely and completely, without expectation of them remaining clean.

A second thing I took away from the passage reinforced what God has taught me lately about forgiveness.  Jesus told the disciples: "You call Me Teacher and Lord, and truly, that is who I am. So if your Lord and Teacher washes your feet, then you should wash one another's feet."  What I got from this was Jesus saying, "I am your Lord- your perfect example.  I am showing you how I forgive people completely, without humiliating them or holding a grudge against them, but rather I forgive and meet them with love so they walk away cleaner and better.  If I am your perfect example, then you should do this too, to one another."

This doesn't really symbolize a distant forgiveness.  It's personal.  It's selfless.  It's whole.  It's love.  It's active.  It's bold.  It's without fear.