it’s all in (between) the toes

two thoughts intersected yesterday, and the result was a day as lovely as they come.

I was reading a commentary on John 13. the commentary explained that our view of relationships will never be enlightened until we actually set our own agendas aside and serve those we love. (note the greek definition of loving one’s wife is to serve and protect). as Jesus told the disciples they were not part of him unless they allowed him to wash their feet, he also explained they would come to understand the moment over time.

what they needed to learn, said the commentary, is that obedience precedes revelation. or, giving yourself over to kneeling and wiping off all the dust and dung and grime from a loved another person’s feet will bring insight you never expected.

fast forward to late afternoon. we were without a mower (broken), a weed wacker (wouldn’t start), or a ladder (not tall enough to reach the gutters). the rain was coming, and so was the Man, if the grass grew any higher.  and there was a baseball game (we rule the field under the lights). this was serious.

my neighbor came through in a big way, and although my son exhibited outward signs of disinterest, he helped me get the 70-lb. ladder up in the air. and then a most curious thing happened: he offered to do the gutter cleaning. earlier he made great strides in mowing. so up he went, me holding a ladder that wouldn’t have moved if I had kicked it.

and then came the insight: he was interested in the job, but he was only interested in it because I was doing it with him. earlier in the day, a job went poorly because I merely supervised. on this job we worked together (or collaborated, in professional speak). and the 7-11 hot dogs and slushies just sealed the moment.

as I reflected on the day to my wife, she remarked how our children are marvels of production, insight and creativity when we invest time in them. almost every job is trivial if we do it together.

put another way, we actually come away more blessed from a moment of serving for having served.

and they yard and gutters turned out pretty nice too …