My 13-year old grandson is in that season of life where shoes are an issue.  Give him a new pair of shoes today and by next week it’ll look like a pair of groundhogs used them as chew toys then threw them in a wood chipper for good measure.

The wear and tear inflicted on his shoes right now is incredible.  The amount of walking, running, and climbing he does brings about the scuff marks and holes that quickly move his shoes from the “new” category to “well worn.”

Reading through John 13 recently, I wondered if I could say the same thing about my towel.

Allow me to explain…

Jesus and His disciples were reclining around the supper table.  They’d finished their meal.  Jesus then, “…got up from supper, laid aside His robe, took a towel, and tied it around Himself.  Next, He poured water into a basin and began to wash His disciples’ feet and dry them with the towel tied around Him.” (vs. 4 & 5)

Understandably, His disciples were stunned.  Foot-washing was considered a lowly thing to do.  It was not something that a superior or a person of higher regard would stoop to perform.

Yet, here was Jesus – the Son of God – demonstrating by His actions, that we are called not to be served, but to serve, and His visual aid included a towel.

I wonder, does my serving look like Jesus?  Does my towel look as used as my grandson’s shoes? How many times have I passed up using my towel so that I wouldn’t have to be inconvenienced?  How often have I sacrificed a perfect opportunity to serve someone else because I didn’t feel like it?

Can you relate?

While we cannot go back and change the past, we absolutely can pray that God help us seize future serving moments!

By the time we stand before God face-to-face, our towels should be threadbare from use, dirty from helping people clean up life’s messes, and full of holes from washing other people’s feet.

We want our Heavenly Father to be able to smile when He sees us and our well-worn towels and be able to exclaim without reservation, “Well done, good and faithful servant(s)…enter into the joy of your Lord!” (Matthew 25:23)

What shape is your towel in today, dear friend?  Let’s not miss those precious opportunities to serve and love those around us!

Until next time, Grace and Glory!