The quote below from Dietrich Bonhoeffer helps paint a
picture of what it looks like for Jesus' followers to wash the feet of
others in His name:
"In the midst of discipline, the entire fullness of the Holy Spirit
wants to unfold and to ripen, and we should give it full space within us
for the sake of God, for the sake of others, and for our own sake. The
entire world of God, the dear Father, wants to be born in us, to grow
and ripen. Love—where only suspicion and hostility reign; joy—instead of
bitterness and pain; peace—amid internal and external strife;
patience—where impatience threatens to overwhelm us; kindness—where only
raw and hard words seem to make any difference; goodness—where
understanding and empathy seem like weakness; faithfulness—where long
separations and enormous changes in all relationships seek to rock the
foundations of even what is most stable; gentleness—where recklessness
and selfishness seem to be the only ways to reach one’s goals;
self-control—where short term pleasures seem to be the only reasonable
option and all bonds are about to dissolve."
In a
world where hostility, sadness, strife, impatience, harshness, meanness,
infidelity, brashness and self-indulgence wear and tear people down,
the fruit of the Spirit of Jesus at work through us brings refreshing as
did the washing of tired and dirty feet in Jesus' day.
Galatians 5:22,23 "The Spirit
however, produces in human life fruits such as these: love, joy, peace,
patience, kindness, generosity, fidelity, tolerance and self-control—and
no law exists against any of them."
