A Family That Serves: A 5-Day Bible Reading Plan for FamiliesSample

Do you know what a servant leader is? Jesus showed us what that looks like. In John 13:12-14, we see Jesus serve his friends in an incredible way – he washes their feet!

There were no socks and sneakers in Jesus’ time, so washing someone's dirty and uncovered feet was not a small act – it was a huge act of love. Their feet were probably extremely dirty, but that didn’t stop Jesus. He washed his friends' feet to show them how important they were to him.

Serving others is not always easy. Sometimes, loving and serving others means doing something hard that you’d rather not do. When you find it hard to serve or love someone like Jesus does, look down at your feet and remind yourself that Jesus did the hard thing by washing their dirty feet – and you can do hard things, too!

If visuals are helpful to you, leave a shoe by the door or draw a picture of a dirty sandal to put up somewhere in the house. Let it be a physical reminder to serve other people even when it’s hard!

Pray: Dear God, thank you for showing us Jesus’ example of serving others in the Bible. Help us to have the courage to serve others, even when it’s hard or messy. We love you. Amen.