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THE TWO SONS
“What do you
think? A man had two sons; he went to the first and said, ‘Son,
go and work in the vineyard today.’ He answered, ‘I will not;’
but later he changed his mind and went. The father went to the
second and said the same; and he answered, ‘I go, sir;’ but he
did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?” They
said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the
tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of
God ahead of you. For John came to you in the way of
righteousness and you did not believe him, but the tax
collectors and the prostitutes believed him; and even after you
saw it, you did not change your minds and believe him.”
My grandma’s feet are legendary. She
suffered from foot problems for years after a lifetime wearing
high heels. Frequently, my mom would share stories of helping
grandma wash her feet and trim the toenails she had left.
Clipping her nails was beyond my grandma’s ability. Because she
lived alone, it was a chore that rarely was done.
Although I knew her feet were a source of
pain and discomfort, the stories grossed me out! The last thing
I wanted to imagine was the gnarled toes of my octogenarian
grandma’s feet. My mom explained that is what we do for people
we love, and I denied her. Getting up close and personal to what
could best be described as “claws” was not anything I was going
to volunteer for ― ever. Not only was I adamant about never
clipping anyone else’s toenails, I teased my mom mercilessly for
having done it for someone else.
Over Christmas one year, I had the
opportunity to spend some time alone in another city with my
grandma. She was sitting on the couch, straining to change her
socks. I sneaked a peek at her feet (fully aware of their
reputation) and it caught me off guard. They did look terrible ―
and painful! I asked grandma how her feet were feeling, and she
said they were giving her some problems as usual. I hesitatingly
asked if she would like me to help soak her feet and trim her
nails. She lit up like a Christmas tree! “Oh, would you?” she
exclaimed, literally clapping her hands together.
For the next hour, I trimmed and soaked and
massaged and lotioned up my grandma’s tootsies. She relished the
experience and, after my initial trepidation, I actually enjoyed
helping her feel better. It was probably the most personal time
I have ever spent with my grandma, and I’m so glad now for the
opportunity to do something for her that she appreciated so
much.
Dear God, walk with us as we do good
works with the help of the Holy Spirit. Help us to submit to
your teachings in both word and actions. Amen
Jennifer Worrel
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