If there’s anything I learned through washing the feet of the homeless, it’s that feet are just feet.

I have always been slightly terrified of touching feet, and I really didn’t understand why anyone would choose to touch another person’s feet, unless perhaps they belonged to your sister, friend, or spouse.

As a matter of fact, just a few short weeks ago, I actually used the word “abhorrent” to describe the idea of washing feet. And though I’m tempted to be ashamed that I thought that way, I really am not, because this was genuinely how I felt. I was genuinely, even going into Saturday, terrified of washing the homeless’ feet.

Until I wasn’t. Until I got to do it. Until I didn’t even think of feet anymore.

You see, feet are just feet.

We went through this whole debate beforehand:

Should people washing feet wear gloves?

We searched online, and everywhere only saw gloved people washing the feet of the homeless. In my head, I thought certainly we should all wear gloves, but in my heart, I knew I personally didn’t want to.

There is nothing wrong or right with wearing or not wearing gloves. It’s just that in my heart, I didn’t want to.

So when it came time for me to wash Lilly’s feet, I didn’t put them on. But at that point, it was hardly a thought in my mind – this beautiful woman was opening herself up to me, letting me wash her feet, and all I could think of was nothing – I was just there with her in that moment.

I suppose the easiest way to get over a fear of feet is to wash the feet that in your mind are the dirtiest. So that’s what happened to me. As we put ourselves out there and did something that seemed crazy to us – washing the feet of the homeless – God moved right in. Into every step of the process.

Honestly, we didn’t “plan,” at least not in the traditional planning sense. We really just got to step back and watch God orchestrate something beautiful.

washing Lily's feet