Have You Ever Washed Someone’s Feet?

I’m not talking about your own, or a baby or a child. I’m talking about humbling yourself and washing the feet of another person, even someone you may not know. I have. During my years as Snuggles, The Love Clown, I designed a service where I washed the feet of many. Too many to count. I can assure you, it is very humbling, but a sincere blessing.

Today is Day 116 of my one year journey of not wearing shoes. I’m wearing just sandals or going barefoot for one full year.  After 116 days of this, I’ve learned a valuable lesson: When you don’t have shoes and socks on, you’re feet get dirty real fast. As a result, I find myself washing my feet much more often than I ever did. Sometimes twice a day.

Researching the time (during the Passover) when Jesus washed the feet of His disciples, I’ve been amazed at all the different analysis and philosophies about the foot-washing service. I’m a believer in the KISS principle – Keep It Short & Simple. When Jesus washed the feet of His disciples, I see it as most do… an act of servanthood. After all, Jesus came not to be served, but to serve. To symbolically show He was a servant of all. Sure, there are valuable lessons to be learned here, but that would take a little book! I’ll just stick with the KISS version.

Thinking about that time in history, I’ve come to realize the significance of that event in a way I never saw before. If my feet get dirty faster, how dirty were the feet of those living a few thousand years ago? No shoes, no socks, no sidewalks or paved streets. No carpeting or wooden floors in the home. Just dirt – in the streets and in the home. Man, I’ll bet everyone had some dirty feet! During that time, when people came to a home after walking around, it was actually customary to have a bowl of water and a towel for people to wash up and rinse off their feet. I’m sure it became standard operating procedure. I’ve seen many children who literally live in garbage dumps. They are usually all barefoot. Sometimes, one of them might have a pair of worn out sandals. Thinking about them walking in the dirt and garbage, helped me remember what I’m doing and why I’m doing it.

The reason I chose to wear sandals or go barefoot for a year, was as a show of solidarity and in an anomalous way to help me identify with the children we are trying to set free. Although our first goal is the freedom of a child who is being held as a slave (a servant, if you will), our ultimate goal is to see each child go from a life of horror, a life of hopelessness – into a life of JOY.

What matters most, is that people just like you get a greater understanding of not what I’m doing – but why I’m doing it. If you come to a deeper understanding of what I am trying to accomplish, and you are motivated to action in helping us in our rescue efforts – then it will have been worth each day of being barefoot to me. Especially if the end result is another child being rescued.

When there was a servant in the home, they would typically be the one who was instructed to wash the feet of a guest. Jesus is The King of Kings and yet he humbled himself and became a servant to not only wash the feet of his disciples – but to ultimately set the captives free. That’s what I believe God has called each of us to do in setting free children who are being held captive – as sex slaves.

Many people have asked what they can do to help me. Because of so many requests, I’ve set up a program where you can do a simple sponsorship right from your phone. If you just gave 10¢ a day for one year, it would come out to about $3 per month. Of course, you’re welcome to do more – but just a dime a day is all I ask and would be a blessing. You would be amazed at how much that can help. It’s less than 1 Starbucks – a month. A dollar a day would just be $36 per month.  If you are interested in being a sponsor – you can go here: www.firstgiving.com/jeffbrodsky ~

When I first started this barefoot challenge, I did not do so to raise funds… just awareness. I’ve created the fundraising page from the suggestion and request of others. No matter what you decide, if you’ve been challenged to get involved and share the plight of this atrocity with others – it will be worth every minute. If you want to help in other ways, we have a team at JOY who will be more than happy to show you what you can do.  Alone I can do something, but together we can accomplish miracles.
Be blessed my friends… and be a blessing,

Dr. Jeff

“One hundred years from now it will not matter what my bank account was, the sort of house I lived in, or the kind of car I drove… but the world may be a better place because I was important in the life of a child.”

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November 10, 2010
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