Washing Feet

The other day we were at the beach on vacation. As we walked back into the house I set up a bowl full of water to wash off our feet so we wouldn't get sand in the house. My 4 yr old daughter looked up at me and said “Daddy can you wash my feet.” Naturally I bent down on my knees and took her little foot in my hand and washed all the sand off. It wasn't easy. I mean the big hunks that had clumped together, you know the easy to see stuff it came off no problem but as I kept washing and washing more sand appeared as if out of no where between the toes and under the nails. All the fun and somewhat gross places but my daughter just continued to look at me with this big smile on her face. Now my daughter has a few different smiles. There is the HA HA you don’t know what I did or am going to do smile. There is the uncontrollable joy smile and there is this smile the smile that is reserved for my wife and I the one that is usually followed by the very words she said to me after we finished. “I love you Daddy, Thank you.”  So as I sit here reading John 13 and I imagine Jesus himself getting down on his hands and knees and washing the disciples feet. And then I think of how he got up and hung on a cross for me this man with obvious sin as well as all the hidden and nasty stuff that has existed in my life and this man this God died just so that I can be cleansed of all that. Wow what an amazing gift first to receive it and then to be able to sit there and look into her eyes and say “I love you too Baby.”