Humility

So i just walked outside to have a cigarrette before starting work. Not something i usually do....the walking outside before I go into work. And Yes for all who read, I know smoking is bad for me. It is not something I am proud of, althought i know it is my pride that keeps me putting those cancer sticks in my mouth. Anyways, as i walked outside, this guy came up and introduced himself. His name is JP. He told me that he was waiting for an angel to come outside and wanted to show me God's glory and how it shines. He said he was out on the streets on parole and was trying to get money for he and his girl to get something to drink. He quickly got on his knee and took out a tin of shoe polish and before I could say anything started to put the polish on my shoes. At this point I knew i could not walk away. It was kind of awkward. Standing in the middle of the side walk, with all these people walking around us. I cannot imagine what it looked like for this white guy to have his foot on the knee of a black man that was polishing his shoe. I flet like i was degrading him just by allowing him to do this. At the same time, i remembered Jesus washing the disciples feet, and how the disciples must have felt. The thoughts going through there heads, and Peter telling Jesus no. He said it because he did not want Jesus to take the position of a servant, becuase he knew who Jesus was.

I just did not know what to think. He was not washing my feet, he was washing my shoes which were by far more dirty then my feet. He did not ask if he could, he just started doing it. It was just outside of anything i have ever experianced. Of course afterwards he asked for money, and then tried to give me $15 in exchange for me to give him $20. I told him I would not do that. And he def. seemed upset about my lack of care for his situation. I know i could have gone to the ATM and gotting him a 20 in exchange for the 15 he had, but I did not think it would be in my best intrest or his for that matter as he already had the smell of Vodka on his breath. But he told me to give him the address of my church so that he could come on sunday. Instead I asked him to meet me at union station on Sunday. He said he would. He told me his full name is Joseph, and asked how he liked my shoes. They looked amazing. He did a great job shining them.

When he had said he wanted to show me how God's glory shines, I think he was intending to show me how shiny my shoes would be when he was done shining them. I think the truth is that it was more through his action of cleaning my shoes in the middle of the side walk, that showed God's glory. I could not quit thinking of Jesus washing the disciples feet. That was Jesus' glory. It said he did this after he knew he had been given everything. It says Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power. He was at that point aware of the extent of his power. He was God, he could do anything, and his choice was to wash feet. To clean what was dirty. Not because they deserved it. Not because he was a slave to them. Not because they asked for it. They did not want it. They did not want the one who was the most powerful to deal with their dirtyness. But he loved them to the extent that he wanted them to be clean. He wanted them to realize that this outward symbol was also to show them the inward reality of what he was going to do the next day. Make the insides of them completly clean. And he was going to take the dirt on himself.

It was weird for me to have this happen. It was weird for me to have someone else shine my shoes, not because i wanted him to, deserved for him to, or asked him to. But because he wanted to. Of course he was looking for money, but he could have also just asked for it. Instead he got on his knee put the polish on my shoes using his bare hands and started to clean. It was weird, it was uncomfortable. It was degrading to him, and i hated that. But i think jesus wanted me to experiance that. Becasue he does the same thing to me inwardly. And I don't always want him to. it is uncomfortable, it is degrading toward him. But i need it. Without it i am left dirty and disgusting not knowing how to clean the stains inside myself, and just making things worse for me. He makes them clean. He shines through all the dirt and crap on my heart and makes it clean. Thank you Jesus for making me uncomfortable this morning so i could understand what you do for me better.