In the eyes of the world, washing a person's feet is considered to be a humiliating act, especially if it is a teacher washing the feet of one of his students, or a boss the feet of one of his employees. No one, perhaps especially in this land, wants to be taken advantage of. People are afraid of being called a "loser." Yet, Jesus told us to follow his example and humbly serve one another. He was able to do this because he knew with utter confidence who he was. When we know who we are in him and through him living in us, then serving is the most natural response. We can't be a "loser" if we freely choose to serve.
Sometimes, it is the simplest things can make me feel "abused" or a "loser," like whenI'm stuck in traffic and someonecuts right in front of me in my lane or cuts meoff. It's so easy to get irritated, but when I give the right of way, only then do I feel peaceful.
When I hold on to my "rights," it can be so frustrating to do the dishes for the family again, or to wake up in the middle of the night for the baby, or to have to go out of my way to give someone a ride home. When I willingly offer these kindnesses as a gift, the frustration goes and I feel free and closer to the Lord. The frustration is transformed into freedom.
No onecan steal from me what Ioffer freely.
The martyred missionary to the Huaorani (Auca) Indians, Jim Elliot, once said: "He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose."
The freedom in serving willingly, as did Jesus, can never be lost.
"The attitude you should have is the one that Christ Jesus had: He always had the nature of God, but he did not think that by force he should try to remain equal with God. Instead of this, of his own free will he gave up all he had, and took the nature of a servant." (Philippians 2:5-7)