Many of you that know me, will know my complete loathing of feet... Don't touch me with your feet, don't touch mine, and I won't touch yours. So, I knew Thailand was going to be a great fit for me as a place who finds feet just as revolting and disrespectful as me. ;) So, you will understand my thorough disbelief when a few months ago something was pressed upon my heart: I want you to wash their feet. I'm sorry, You want me to do what?? Touch feet?? You've got to be joking me!!
Little did I know what God was preparing and what He wanted to do in me... When this first came up, a dread was stirring inside of me. It had to have been a joke, or at least someone else's thought, because it was definitely not my own; that's for sure! I joked about it with a friend and pushed it off as if it were some crazy thing I would never do in my life ~ like pack up my life and move to the other side of the world by myself when I was 22 ~ (you can see where I'm going with this, can't you)... The thing I have come to love (and often dread) about God, is His persistence in my life. He knows my stubbornness. And even more so, He knows His ways through my obstacles. Over the next several weeks, the struggles were raging throughout Home of the Swallow. *Wash their feet* Problems arising left and right *Wash their feet* emotions running wild *Wash their feet* and the weight pressing in *Wash their feet*... I couldn't get it off my mind and knew this was something I needed to do. I didn't know how on earth it was going to happen, but I proceeded forward with obedience. As I had finally given in, God began to do a work in me. I started to see the girls and staff in such a unique and beautiful way. It is hard to express it in words, but the best way to describe it, was that He was giving me a glimpse into His heart and was allowing me to see everyone as He did... No positions/relationships, not what they had been through, and not even the struggles they were currently going through, but simply how overwhelmingly loved they are and how precious each one of them is to Him. Isn't it true that life often scars us, tells us who we (or others) are, what mold we fit, and how we are to live because of it? We have personality tests, intelligence tests, career assessments, spiritual strength quizzes, horoscopes, Buzzfeed surveys to find out what color or pizza topping you are (don't even get me started...). Yet how often do we shut off the world around and look to who God says we are? So, God sent me on a renewing journey... *Adopted - God CHOSE us! (Ephesians 1:5/11) *Full of Christ - all power and authority He has given to us! (Colossians 2:9-10) *FREE! (Romans 6:6) *Image of God - Perfect! (Genesis 1:27) *Unique & valuable! (Jeremiah 1:5) *Wise (1 Corinthians 1:30) *Body of Christ - Purpose! (1 Corinthians 12:27) *Light (Ephesians 5:8) *Holy (Colossians 1:2) *Worthy - bough with a special price! (1 Corinthians 6:19-20) So, I began to pray over the women and staff, that their hearts would be open to whatever God wanted to reveal to them. I also began to pray that God would speak through me and would give me the strength i needed to push past my insecurities. I spent the morning preparing the room - soft Christmas lights, flowers, scented candles, and worship music - in hopes that they would see how special and worthy they were to receive what He was offering. I purposely chose not to tell them what I was doing, as many of them would have either washed their own feet first, or wouldn't have allowed me to altogether. I brought each woman in one at a time and read a paraphrase (in Thai) of John 13 - when Jesus washes His disciples feet. Now, there are many good things that I could have pulled from this story, but the biggest thing I felt God wanted me to share with them was that Jesus, the most worthy King of all, took the place of the lowest of servants so that He could show His disciples how much He loved them. It didn't matter what they had done, their lack of faith, the struggles they were facing, or even their future sins, God loved them more than they could have ever imagine. I had the soft worship music playing in the background and I began to wash their feet. All I can say, is that I had an out of body experience as it did not feel like me washing their feet! His presence was powerful and the love was overwhelming! About this point with every girl, I could tell God was stirring in them as the tears rolled down their face. He continued to give me words for each girl, letting them know what He saw in them and the beautiful mountain tops He was taking them to. I then asked if there was anything they wanted to surrender to God, in which I spent some time in prayer with them, inviting God to fill their holes, heal their scares, and awaken them with a renewed hope in Him. Praying for them is always a great joy to me! So, when God asks you to do something and you walk it out in obedience, He will not only show up, but will leave you standing speechless. I know that the girls left impacted that night by what they had experienced, but I never expected to be so changed in return! I am still not a fan of feet, but one thing is for sure; He's put a new picture in my heart that I will never forget!...
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May 2015
Support:If you would like to financially support me or HOS, you can go online and give:
https://www.egsnetwork.com/gift/gift.php?giftid=535530DBD93C42E OR, you can send a check (with Shannon Halloran on the memo line) to: CORD Ministries International P.O. Box 102 Wheaton, IL 60187-0102 * All Tax deductible gift* Questions: Director of CORD Ministries Michael Ullrich (303)-994-4754 [email protected] Links:Family Connection Foundation:
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