Daily Guideposts - 20 Day SampleSample

Humbled By Feats

Recently my mother-in-law started “storying”—as she calls lying—about how I used to cut her fingernails. I had never cut her nails.

God knew she needed it. Alzheimer’s and arthritis made the task impossible for her, and her nails were frighteningly long and ragged.

Nevertheless, it took weeks and many more tellings before her fantasy was realized.

It wasn’t so horrible. Just as she described, I took her skinny fingers in mine and clip, clip, clip, it was done. And they did look pretty and nice. We both savored the improvement.

Immediately afterward, though, she started talking about her feet. She removed her fuzzy socks to reveal bulbous yellow toenails so long they curled under and twisted in every direction. That was too much for me.

No way was I touching my mother-in-law’s fungal-looking feet, despite my growing certainty that doing so was precisely what God wanted.

I wrestled with myself for weeks. In vain. Finally, following a nurse friend’s advice, I took her to a shop to have the deed done professionally.

There, throne-like pedicure chairs loomed above little foot tubs. I was sure this wouldn’t work. But somehow, between us, the staff and I managed to hoist her up there, and soon a no-nonsense pedicurist was grinding and massaging away, chatting comfortingly as she worked.

My mother-in-law was in heaven, during and afterward, and the women who took care of her there humbled me to my fastidious core.

Thank You, my foot-washing brother and Lord, for stooping to help me and for loving me, despite my weaknesses and failings. Thank You, too, for providing others who daily take Your easy yoke upon their shoulders and squat to do what needs to be done.

—Patty Kirk
Digging Deeper: John 13:11–13