What Jesus Washing Feet Taught Me About My Own Heart
The other day I was mowing my yard—Bible app in my ears, sweat in my eyes—listening to John 13.
And right in the middle of it, the Lord stopped me.
I was hearing the story of Jesus washing the disciples’ feet, and it was like He whispered,
“Washing feet isn’t just for them—it’s for you too.”
And here’s what He meant:
Serving people isn’t just about blessing them.
It’s about protecting you.
It’s about cleansing your own heart from the slow creep of criticism and judgment.
Washing Feet Changes How You See People
When Jesus bent down to wash the disciples’ feet, He wasn’t confused about who He was.
“Jesus knew that the Father had given everything into his hands…”
—John 13:3 (CSB)
He was the Son of God. He had all authority.
And He still grabbed a towel.
When you serve someone—when you actually get close enough to see the dirt, hear their story, and love them through it—something shifts.
It’s hard to judge someone when you’ve just been kneeling to wash their feet.
Service is a Mirror
The truth is, a critical spirit grows in distance.
It thrives when we keep people as characters in our head instead of souls in our hands.
When you step in to serve—whether that’s washing literal feet, buying a meal, helping them move, or just listening—you see them differently.
The Lord uses that closeness to reveal the pride, impatience, or assumptions hiding in your own heart.
Serving is humbling.
Serving is cleansing.
Getting to Know People Breaks the Mold
Here’s what I felt God say to me that day:
“When you serve people, you stop defining them by their faults and start seeing them through My eyes.”
Jesus washed Judas’s feet knowing Judas would betray Him.
He didn’t skip Thomas for doubting.
He didn’t pause at Peter’s feet and say, “You’re gonna blow it three times tomorrow, so…”
He served them all.
That’s the model.
We don’t get to decide who “deserves” our love.
We serve, and in the process, God scrubs the judgment out of us.
Let’s Break the Mold
I want to be the kind of believer who kneels before I criticize.
Who washes before I whisper.
Who serves before I size up.
Because when you get low enough to wash feet, you’re too busy loving people to look down on them.
Reflection:
Who’s one person you’ve been quick to critique or slow to serve?
This week, ask God to give you a practical way to “wash their feet”—and watch how He changes your heart in the process.
break the mold 
Leave a comment