A Holy Moment

I saw her as I was leaving the grocery store.
I was not shopping at my usual store but rather a store in a different location.
My shopping cart was quite full.
The wind outside kicked up a bit and felt like a wind tunnel.

I stopped before I went into the parking lot to make sure my grocery bags were secure.
I was glad I stopped because the woman was right there in front of me.
She was pushing a walker, with a small grocery bag on her arm.
Her feet shuffled slowly, partly because of the wind and partly because of her walker.

She was moving across the parking lot quite slowly.
No other cars were coming in either direction.
She was headed towards the handicapped parking spaces.
I saw her approach a car that was parked in the first space.

I put all of my grocery bags into the back of my minivan.
I pushed my cart over to the place where you leave your shopping carts.
I walked back to my car with a banana in my hand.
I always grab a banana after I go grocery shopping before I drive home.

I looked over at the woman and saw that she was in  her car.
Her walker was folded but was still in the parking lot next to her car.
I could see her trying to adjust herself in the front seat.
She was struggling.

I walked towards her.
Could you use some help? I asked her with a smile.
She looked at me and seemed relieved.
Could you help me with my leg? She asked me.

Of course; what do you need me to do? I asked not knowing where to begin.
Can you get my leg into my car? She said without hesitation.
I noticed that though her upper body was in the car, her legs remained outside.
She was twisted in the front seat with the steering wheel getting in the way.

This leg? I asked pointing to the one closest to the steering wheel.
Yes, she said.
I gently reached down and realized that I still had the banana in my hand.
I lifted her leg ever so gently to guide it into her car.

Her leg felt stiff and was trying not to yield to my gentle lift.
Am I hurting you? I asked her hoping that I was not.
No, not at all; it’s just stubborn sometimes, she answered.
Her leg was successfully moved into her car as I set out to help her with her other leg.

After her legs cleared the steering wheel, there was one more thing to do.
What about this? I asked her pointing to her folded walker.
I’ll take that up here with me, she said.
I handed her the walker as I tilted it to slide into the front seat.

She expertly slid the walker in front of her and placed it on the passenger side of the car.
Thank you ever so much, she said.
You are very welcome, I told her.
Be careful driving home, I said meaning every word.

I got back in my car and ate my banana.
I watched her to make sure she drove away safely.
It took her a while but she pulled out of the parking space and drove off.
I said a quick prayer for her.

It was a God-ordained moment.
It was the kind of moment that rarely happens but when it does you have to respond.
It was one-anothering in the parking lot of a grocery store.
It was washing feet.

It was before the Passover feast. Jesus knew that the time had come for Him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved His own who were in the world He now showed them the full extent of His love. The evening meal was being served and the devil had already prompted Judas Iscariot, son of Simon, to betray Jesus. Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under His power, and that He had come from God and was returning to God; so He got up from the meal, took off His outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around His waist. After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash His disciples feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around Him. He came to Simon Peter, who said to Him, “Lord, are You going to wash my feet?” Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” “No,” said Peter, “You shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with Me.” “Then Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well.” Jesus answered, “A person who has had a bath needs only to wash his feet; his whole body is clean. And you are clean though not every one of you.” For He knew who was going to betray Him and that is why He said not every one was clean. When He had finished washing their feet, He put on His clothes and returned to His place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” He asked them. “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. I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.” (John 13:1-17)

It is hard to tell a story such as the one about the woman and the walker.
No matter how you tell it, it can come across as boasting.
I assure you, there is no boasting here.
The whole incident was a holy moment.

It was a humbling realization that I was washing her feet.
I had the privilege to do what Jesus had done.
In a small way, God ordained a moment when I could serve another in Jesus’ name.
We forget that we each do that every day.

Every diaper that is changed, every knee that is bandaged is a holy moment.
Every bit of homework that is checked, every book that is read is a holy moment.
Every tear that is dried, every hug that is given is a holy moment.
Every kind word, every note of encouragement, every listening ear is a holy moment.

It is in those quiet, unassuming moments that we are most like Jesus.
It is in those moments when we have His towel wrapped around our waist.
It is when we serve another that we are serving Him.
It is when we wash feet that we have a part in Him.

I wish I had known the woman’s name.
God knows.
God knows everything about her.
God only needed me to be His hands and feet for a few moments.

What a privilege.
Do you have your basin and towel?
You do when you serve another in His name.
Quietly, gently, profoundly you wash feet for Him.