And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other's feet. I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you. John 13:14
The night before Jesus was crucified, he had dinner with his disciples. Only hours before his death, he chose his every word very carefully. At that moment, he chose to humble himself to the level of a servant and wash their feet - an action far beneath him as the Son of God. He did this to give a vivid picture of the importance of serving others. In many ways, that towel was a symbolic key that frees us from the shackles of ourselves.
Jesus knew that we would naturally put ourselves first. His solution was for us to lower ourselves and become a servant to others. Serving others sets us free from self. What if we started treating serving this way? Would we stop saying “you're welcome” and start saying “thank you”? How much more would we begin to look for large and small ways for we can serve the needs of others? Not as an act of sacrifice but of self-freedom and preservation. Each act of serving brings us closer to finding freedom from the entanglements of self.
Prayer: Jesus, please help me look for ways and opportunities to serve those around me in big and small ways. Please help me to follow your example. Amen.