It was the week leading into Easter, and on this feast of “Holy Thursday,” when we remember Jesus washing the feet of His disciples before the last supper, I had the unique opportunity to wash the feet of a homeless woman.

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And it changed my life.

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I was in high school and I was taking part in "Holy Week Missions," a five day opportunity filled with prayer, service, and community. On Thursday afternoon, our group was ministering to the homeless through a ministry called Andre House.

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Just as Jesus honored those He loved by washing their feet on Holy Thursday thousands of years earlier, we desired to do the same.

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So as dozens of homeless guests lined up for dinner, we sat nearby with bright red plastic bowls, pitchers of warm water, lotion, and fresh pairs of socks. And we asked each one as they walked by,

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"May I wash your feet?" 

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It can seem like a strange request, so many said no or ignored us. But many also said yes! And it was the humility of each "yes" that led to moments of profound encounter.

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When the reserved woman with long dark hair came and sat in front of me, I knelt before her. And as I removed her tennis shoes, peeled back her stained socks, and began to press soap into her dirt-covered skin, she received in vulnerability. 

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It was one of the most profound moments of my life.

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To this day I still struggle to put into words what that encounter meant to me. All I know is that is stoked a flame in my heart to love others radically, and it changed me. 

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As God always does, He had more to give! He brought this powerful encounter to fruition 8 years later - to the day.

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On Holy Thursday night 2019, I was in prayer pondering what it would have been like to be present at The Last Supper. I imagined sitting in the room and watching as Jesus removed His outer tunic, washing the feet of His beloved disciples one by one.

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And then He came to me.

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Kneeling down before me, He asked me the same question I'd asked the woman with the long dark hair.

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"May I wash your feet?"

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I began to panic.

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I imagined my feet shoved in sweaty shoes. They were gross and they probably smelled bad. And when was the last time I clipped my toenails?? I imagined my feet covered in raw sores, representing the many parts of myself that are wounded and that I'm afraid to uncover.

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I couldn't help but wonder... How could Jesus possibly want to encounter these parts of me?

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But then I remembered the homeless woman and how she had received in vulnerability, and so in this moment of prayer I decided to do the same.

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I watched as Jesus gently unbound my feet, and slowly pulled back the sticky socks from my dirt-stained skin. Then He brought my aching feet to His forehead, reverencing them before kissing each one. He then tended to all of my sores and washed my feet clean. 

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It was in this moment that Jesus showed me that every part of ourselves and our stories - even the dirty and broken and messy parts - are sacred to Him.

In the midst of prayer, I took out my notebook and wrote everything down.

Those notes would become the storyline for our first drafted book story! 

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It was that night, Holy Thursday 2019, that I wrote down two words that would one day become the title of this book:

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"Sacred Wounds."

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I cannot wait to share this book and the stories it contains with you! I pray that it will be a starting point for you - a beginning for your own encounter with Jesus, where He tenderly reveals His immense love for every part of you and your story. 

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As we get closer and closer to launching "Sacred Wounds" and my excitement grows, so does my gratitude for the woman who allowed me to wash her feet, exemplifying to all of us the beauty of receiving in vulnerability.

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Written March 11, 2023