Hands and Feet

   It has been almost a month since my last post, and I do apologize for the delay. I have several half-written posts that I never completed (maybe I will one day). One thing I have discovered in my short career in blog writing is that the nature of blog writing makes it quite easy to become prey to a narcissistic way of thinking (which is easy enough to fall into without the help of a me-centered blog).  Of course this comes as a complete contradiction to the humble way of Jesus and recently God has been highlighting the humble servant-hood of Jesus to me and encouraging me to walk in humility. So until I could separate my ego from my blog I decided to let it rest. (I hope to learn how be able to communicate out of a desire to share my life with my friends rather than feed my ego!)
    Since I last wrote there have been several changes. Angela left Belgium to return home the first week of June and Susannah C. arrived to fill her place. Shortly after that JaLeisa arrived from Oklahoma to fill in my position. I departed for Macedonia on Sunday and am now with Vlatko, Susannah  and their two children Marta and Fillip in their lovely home outside of Skopje.
       I am here to serve and help Susannah as her pregnancy approaches its last months. Due to previous c-sections Susannah is unable to lift 14 month old Fillip. So I am basically able to be an extras set of hands and feet for Susannah.
     In Belgium Rebecca often refers to her caregivers as her "hands and feet" and that is quite accurate as almost all the duties we do while we are with her from watering flowers, brushing her hair, or helping her eat are things that she is no longer able to do because of her paralysis. There are so many things that Rebecca would do if she could and although she never speaks bitterly about the loss of her independence and mobility one of the most challenging aspects of her situation is the difficulty of being able to physically be there for her children and grandchildren, And so it is that in many ways my being here for Susannah is just an extension of serving as the hands and feet of Rebecca. If Rebecca could she would be right here like any other woman would be helping care for her grandchildren and helping her daughter during this time. It is out of this vision as a continuation of Rebecca's hands and feet that I care for the children and serve here. It is very humbling to realize I am entrusted to serve in this way.....and I am thankful.
         In a similar way we are all entrusted to serve as the hands and feet of Jesus. Although Jesus is fully capable (He is God) He invites us to share in the opportunity to humbly serve as His hands and feet to all His loved ones. And while I do love serving Susannah and her children very much, it is more the love Rebecca has for her daughter and grandchildren and my love for Rebecca that motivates me to serve. Isn't that in a way similar with us and God? It's not always what makes us feel good, or a special calling, or a significant vision but our love for God and God's love for his children that stirs us to serve His beloved ones as the humble hands and feet of Jesus. What a privilege to be entrusted to serve as the hands that washed the disciples feet and as the feet who went to the homes of outcasts and sinners.....and how thankful we can be.

The view from my bedroom