Have you ever had one of those days when you feel as if there is nothing right in your life?
Days when the struggle seems too great and all you want to do is pull the duvet over your head and say I’m staying here?
Driving to church one Sunday, I struggled with those feelings.
I knew I was blessed, but I realised that I also felt depressed. Feelings of being overwhelmed by seemingly unchanging situations in my life saddened me and I felt that I was failing in all areas of life.
Then I entered church and it was as if I had walked into a zone of grace.
One prayer reminded people to take all their troubles to the foot of the cross.
So I imagined myself kneeling at the cross. In prayer, I named my troubles and burdens and asked Jesus to take them all and replace them with goodness.
Shortly after, someone read about Jesus washing the feet of the disciples. (John 13:3-15)
Even though I knew the story well, I experienced a fresh understanding that helped me to see my problems in the context of His great and consistent love. In the story, Jesus had told Peter that it was only our feet that needed cleansing, not our whole body.
To me, the dirt represented the daily trials that we face. As we walk through our day, challenges, difficulties in relationships, hurts and sin can make our feet dirty and tired.
If our feet are not washed, we carry the dirt wherever we go.
The Holy Spirit gently reminded me that not everything in my life was awful. The truth was that as a child of God, I was washed clean by the blood of Jesus. As He sacrificed His life on the cross, He was thinking of us in our pain and suffering and offered Himself as the bridge between heaven and earth.
As we journey through this life, our feet get dirty with the difficulties that threaten to overwhelm us. If we don’t let Jesus wash our feet we carry the filth wherever we go.
Some verses from The Message bible suddenly felt as if they were written just for me.
Jesus calls to us. “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”
(Matthew 11:28 – 30 MSG)
Even though the difficulties remained, I was changed. I felt as if heaven was smiling on me saying, remember, Jesus loves you.
So be encouraged. Whatever you are facing or feeling – Jesus loves you. He always has and he always will.
by Ragini Hildreth
