The Gift of Receiving
Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was going to God, 4 rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself. 5 After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded. 6 Then He came to Simon Peter. And Peter said to Him, “Lord, are You washing my feet?” 7 Jesus answered and said to him, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will know after this.” 8 Peter said to Him, “You shall never wash my feet!” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.”
“You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.” John 13:3-8 and:13-17
I love spending time with Ms. Cille. She is part of the community of women who adopted me as spiritual daughter when I relocated to my new city several years ago. Whenever I have an opportunity to sit with her and soak up her wisdom, share and pray with her, I always take advantage of it.
During one of our visits, we sat in her home, shared and laughed. After having these moments together, she started praying for me. As we held hands, her soft and rich voice soothed my spirit, her words washed over me and peace flooded my heart. By the time, she said Amen, my tears had already flowed. That was the blessing that I needed to receive. As I wiped my eyes, she asked if I had extra time. I told that I did and was prepared to help her with the task. She jumped up and said, “Oh Goody! Now I get to do what I was supposed to do the last time that you visited and I didn’t. I asked God to open up another window for me to do it and God answered my prayer!” She disappeared into the kitchen and returned with a yellow towel, that she placed on my lap and a box of tissues. She brought out a huge bag and pulled out a large plastic tub. Seeing my puzzled expression, she looked at me and smiled, “I’m going to wash your feet, Daughter.”
I completely lost it.
I broke down, overwhelmed and touched beyond words. Between my sobs, I told her, “Ms. Cille, I need to be washing your feet, after all you have done for me. No, Ms. Cille, please don’t wash my feet, let me do this for you.” As she kneeled down before me, she looked up and quipped, “Your middle initial is P – does that stand for Peter?” Well played, Ms. Cille. I nodded my head, realizing my response was the same as Peter’s when Jesus said that he was washing their feet. She placed my feet in the warm, soapy water and gently caressed each one with tender care. As she washed she said, “Daughter, when Jesus washed the disciple’s feet, he was showing them what it meant to serve. He knew that they would be going out all over the world and serving others. He wanted to be a living example of what they were called to do. They were called to serve. But, you know I also think that He wanted them to remember how good it feels to receive. Servants are always serving, but we need to remember that servants need to remember to receive… and to remember that it feels good.”
We often say it more of a blessing to give than receive, however that doesn’t diminish the blessing of receiving.
“Gracious acceptance is an art - an art which most of us never bother to cultivate. We think that we have to learn how to give, but we forget about accepting things, which can be much harder than giving... Accepting another person’s gift is allowing that person to express their feelings for you. “ Alexander McCall Smith
• Receiving gives the giver an opportunity to be a channel of blessing. Ms. Cille reminded me, “Minister Sheila, you’re always saying that you receive a blessing whenever you give, so why are you blocking my blessing when you won’t let me give to you?”
• Receiving reminds me that I am not in control … Not that I ever really was in control. I have learned the importance of being part of a community that supports and loves. Receiving is another reminder that we need each other.
As I sat in the sacred space, I was reminded that being a servant involves being humble enough to give and humble enough to receive. Ms. Cille reminded me that one of the greatest gifts we can give is allowing someone the privilege of giving to us.
Receiving,
Sheila P Spencer
