Washing Each Others Feet

      Recently I was brought back to some of my childhood memories. Being a 10 year old girl and having those knock-down-drag-outs with my younger sister, Anna. Boy, did we have a lot of those back in the day. From quite a young age my parents, from time to time, would used quite an odd form of punishment for this behavior between my sister(s) and I. With our young faces full of child-like hatred and crinkled noses of defiance, my mom or dad would send us to the bathroom. We knew what this meant. And at the time we absolutely hated it. We thought this form of punishment was gross, weird, and like I still believe to this day, odd. One of us would kneel down by the tub (not saying a word to one another of course, much tension still in the air) and the other would sit on the side of the tub with our bare feet inside and pants-legs rolled up. After turning the water on to warm and grabbing the bar of soap, one of us would start to scrub the others feet. Once finished, we would trade places. And so this, as odd as it may be, was one of our forms of punishment when my sisters and I quarreled.
     John 13:1-17, this scripture is when Jesus washes the disciples feet. I remember my Dad reading this to us a few times. "If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you. Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them." (vs.14-17). Christ was the ultimate example of humility. Though most don't go around literally washing each others feet, to a young child, my parents used this as a way of showing us that it's not about "me". They used the washing of each others feet as a tool to show us it's about SERVING one another. My sister and I would often get into arguments because we each were being selfish in some way, this "gross" action of having to wash each others feet was teaching us a deeper meaning not for that present moment only, but as we grew older as well. 
   How can we wash each others feet today? How can we serve someone? Paul tells the brethren at Philippi, "let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem OTHERS better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interest, but also for the interest of OTHERS." (Phil. 2:3-4). The more we give of ourselves and humble ourselves, the more we learn about Christ. Let's LOOK for ways to wash each others feet and to SERVE. I myself, have much to learn in this way. I am thankful my parents sought to teach this value to my sisters and me - and showed us through their actions as well. 
I am reminded of the hymn we sometimes sing: 
           Lord, help me to live from day to day in such a self-forgetful way
          That even when I kneel to pray my prayers shall be for -Others.
          Others, Lord, Yes others, let this my motto be, help me to live for
          Others, that I may live like Thee.....