Most of my life I have been a pretty independent person, ever since I was a little kid I wanted to, and could, do most things on my own and for myself and I only asked for my parent’s help when it was absolutely necessary. I always just wanted to keep up with my brother who was 4.5 years older than me and he didn’t ask my parents to help a whole lot so from the age of 4, when I learned how to ride a two wheel bike by myself, on I didn’t ask for much of anything. The only time I remember really wanting and feeling like I needed my parents was when I was sick. When Mom or Dad would have to stay home with me and they’d make me special food and give me my medicine, I not only wanted them there but I felt like I needed them and I felt so special. When I was fifteen I had shoulder surgery and I remember a couple of days after it my mom went on a trip and I just wanted her home again, I needed her to help me take my medicine and help me get dressed and to put my hair in a ponytail... To this day when I am sick I just want to be taken care of and I miss my parents a lot at these times, there is something special about how a parent takes care of you...
Yesterday a couple of our kids went to the doctor, one had sores on her head and the other had sores/bites all over her body. They each came home with medicine that they needed to apply twice a day. At night, before she showered, one of them came up to me and asked me if I could help her with the medicine and applying it after she showered and quickly the other one asked the same. These are two girls that I am not extremely, extremely close with yet when I came in their room and was looking at the medicine and started helping them they where just glowing and turned to me and said, “You’re like our mom.” I laughed at the thought and yet knew that their was some truth to it... that I may be the closest thing they had had in a while, or ever, to a fully loving and caring and embracing female figure. As I thought about how much I wanted my mom to help me with medicines when I was sick and how I still miss her when I am sick it all started to make sense... they’d probably never had an older female figure care enough to take care of them when they were sick and help them with their medicines. It wasn’t quite washing feet and the Bible never speaks of Jesus applying medicine to the disciples but while I was combing through one girl’s head searching for the sores (something that to me was rather gross and I’d really prefer not to do) I couldn’t help but be aware that what I was doing was much more than just applying medicine. Just like when Jesus washed the disciples feet (John 13:1-17), it had much more meaning than just cleaning feet, I knew this moment and this gesture for them was far greater and spoke far more to their hearts than it looked like on the outside and that their hearts were being touched in a way far larger than I could probably ever know.
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