LEAD. June 2020 | Page 39

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. 39