"do unto others...as you'd have them do unto you..."

Several posts ago, I had spoken of a strip of boulevard by my house that was covered in trash. Old soda bottles, beer bottles, champagne bottles and more. I also mentioned the old, "why do I have to clean it up?" tape that played in my mind. Yes, I can get whiny, mainly because I feel that others who make the mess should also be responsible for it's cleanup.

Then I realized....why should they want to clean it up....had they not left the trash there...it wouldn't be an issue on the first place!

So, yes, I did take a couple of trash bags and, together with my two dogs, we went out there to clean that mess up.
Believe me, when you have two hyper dogs wanting to sniff at everything, it made the job harder. Note to self: leave dogs home next time!
In the end, I got the job done and oh, boy! It felt so good to put those bags in the Dumpster! And now as I walk my dogs along that boulevard, I smile. It looks so clean, so wonderful! And it didn't hurt one bit!

Jesus did the same when He washed the feet of His disciples. Everyone wore sandals back then and feet were very dirty. For Him to do this was very humbling. Its action should show us that if He can do this, then WE should be able to do uncomfortable, sometimes messy things also. Unlike for me, cleaning trash has it's own reward. Probably no one noticed. Yet to look someone in the eye and do a most unsavory act also has it's own reward.

Did Jesus get a high five? A round of applause? Scripture says this about it: (John 13:1-17 NIV)

13 It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.

² The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. ³ Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; ⁴ so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. ⁵ 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.
⁶ He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”
⁷ Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”
⁸ “No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.”
Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.”
⁹ “Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!”
¹⁰ Jesus answered, “Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.” ¹¹ For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean.
¹² 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. ¹³ “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. ¹⁴ Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. ¹⁵ I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. ¹⁶ Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. ¹⁷ Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.

I read this and think that whenever we feel the compulsion to do something, then we should do it. That compulsion, or "little voice" that directs us to do something good for another, is just a directive from Someone much higher than us...who would appreciate it if we'd act on His behalf.
Don't be afraid...just go ahead and leave your footprint!!