work to identify with the rest of humanity.
One of the clearest places I see the humility of
Christ is when he washes the disciples’ feet on
the night he was to be betrayed. Scripture says,
Jesus, knowing that the Father had given
all things into his hands, and that he had
come from God and was going back to God,
rose from supper. He laid aside his outer
garments, and taking a towel, tied it around
his waist. Then he poured water into a basin
and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to
wipe them with the towel that was wrapped
around him. (John 13:3–5)
Here we see Jesus about to walk through the
most excruciating day of his life. But he knows
where he came from and where he is going. He
is so connected to his heavenly Father that he
was able to serve the very disciples who would
soon abandon him. He was not concerned with
establishing a reputation because he knew
who he was and still is. He also knew that true
greatness meant putting aside his rightful place
of honor and picking up a towel. He took a role
the disciples found demeaning. He washed
their feet—feet that would become dirty again
tomorrow.
Mission work often feels like washing feet that
will just get dusty and dirty again. Only when we
trust the finished work of Jesus and when we
know that we are going to be with him and the
Father, will we have the power to love and serve
others.
People who serve as missionaries have
differing experiences. Many come hopeful and
energized but leave demoralized, discouraged,
and sometimes even questioning the work
of the church in the world. Others work for a
lifetime with hope and grace and joy. They work
through challenging seasons and experience
discouragement and disappointment, yet they
seem able to maintain a quiet confidence that
God is working even in the midst of failures,
loss, and transition. How do they maintain
peace and joy when their work feels like failure?
When I first moved to Uganda, I thought I was
going to help people. But when I landed, I
realized that I didn’t initially have much to offer.
I didn’t know anything about living in the place
where I landed. I needed other people to help
me shop in the market, cook in my kitchen, and
understand the local language. The tables were
turned on my expectations of being helpful
almost immediately, because I became the
person who needed help.
In the life of faith, we are not defined by success
or failure. Our identity is rooted only in Jesus
and his steadfast love. This frees us to love those
we serve without looking to their response to
define us.
Obedience to God does not guarantee an easy
life—it carried Jesus to the cross. Obedience also
doesn’t mean honor or glory. Jesus was often
misunderstood, overlooked, and even hated.
While he was rescuing the whole world, even his
closest friends didn’t understand what he was
doing and abandoned him. And yet, Christian
culture today often sees suffering, failure, and
loss as signs that God isn’t working and that
you should move on to bigger and better things.
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