Daddy, It hurts…..

This was posted on Dell Kimberly’s blog and was sent to him by Travis Conner, a friend of Dell’s who preaches for the Antioch Church of Christ in Snead Alabama.  It was sent with the instructions to “pass it on”.  I do not know the author of this poem.  I can only say that I appreciate their effort. I am passing this poem along because of its importance and I encourage you to do the same.  Jesus said in Matthew, “But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.  May God have mercy on us all….

 Daddy, It hurts…..

My name is Chris,
I am three,
My eyes are swollen..
I cannot see.

I must be stupid,
I must be bad,
What else could have made,   

My daddy so mad.

I wish I were better,
I wish I weren’t ugly,
Then maybe my mommy,
Would still want to hug me.

I can’t do a wrong,
I can’t speak at all

Or else I’m locked up

All day long.

When I’m awake,
I’m all alone,
The house is dark,
My folks aren’t home.

When my mommy does come home,
I’ll try and be nice,
So maybe I’ll just get,
One whipping tonight.

I just heard a car,
My daddy is back,

after all his drinking
At Charlie’s bar

I hear him curse,
My name is called,
I press myself,
Against the wall.

I try to hide,
From his evil eyes,
I’m so afraid now,
I’m starting to cry.

He finds me weeping,
Calls me ugly words,
He says its my fault,
He suffers at work.

He slaps and hits me,
And yells at me more,
I finally get free,
And run to the door.

He’s already locked it,
And I start to bawl,
He takes me and throws me,
Against the hard wall.

I fall to the floor,
With my bones nearly broken,
And my daddy continues,
With more bad words spoken.

‘I’m sorry!’, I scream,
But it’s now much to late,
His face has been twisted,
Into a unimaginable shape.

The hurt and the pain,
Again and again,
O please God, have mercy!
O please let it end!

And he finally stops,
And heads for the door,
While I lay there motionless,
Sprawled on the floor..

My name is Chris,
I am three,
Tonight my daddy,
Murdered me.

This post (which Dell posted on his blog) has hit home very hard and is very sad and painful to read.  I and so many adult children have walked in the shoes of the little child and grown up with pains so deep that no human can ever really reach to heal.  No my parents never went as far as to kill a child, but there were so many times I really prayed that they would have just ended things for me.  There were many times where I felt that physically I was one step out of the grave because of the beatings I received at my dads hands for doing nothing more then salting my food at the dinner table when he wanted to salt his.  On another angle concerning pain this post brought are the memories that the actions and attitudes of my parents also hurt and killed so much in the children of their charge.  Only my second eldest brother is strong in the church like my parents were.  Of the rest of the seven children, none believe in the god of our youth as adults.  Where I once turned to king alcohol and street drugs, one of my siblings has turned to medical drugs, one to street drugs, one to alcohol, one to their work, and one is dead.  Only two give a slight effort to church and that is only when around the parents.  So as this post goes, the dad of my youth killed God and church in the hearts of most of the six children placed into his care by the Heavenly Father. 

 

I often ask myself “WHY?” Why am I setting in the building of a church of Christ today?  Why am I making effort to bond with members of the church of Christ today?  Why did I return here when king alcohol failed me in life?  I do not have the answers to these questions of mine even though I consider them often.

 

One thing I do know today is that I do not know the god of my parents.  The God I know today is love not hate.  The God I know today is help not hurt.  The God I respect today is not the hurtful, ridged, over-bearing, ultra-conservative, legalistic god of my parents or youth.  The God I know today forgives my errors and mistakes and forgets them as if they never happened in the first place.

 

I will take the God I know today over the god of my youth any time and any place.

 

God’s Beautiful Country of Sedona

Washing Feet

Washing Feet by Guy Lewis

 

John 13:12-17 So when He had washed their feet, taken His garments, and sat down again, He said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you?  “You call me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am.  “If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.  “For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you.  “Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him.  “If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.” NKJ

 

The teaching by example and the command:  John 13:14-15 “If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.  “For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you.”

 

Ms. Ruby and I had a long talk on this topic as to what this look like in the life of a Christian today.  We talked about things like:

1.               Be humble in life

2.               Do what has to be done

3.               Not better then others

4.               Show that you care for others

       5.    Be willing to do what it takes to show Christ’s love

 

In reality “Washing feet” means all these things and much more when we wash the feet of each other and when we wash the feet of the non-Christian today.  

 

1.    Washing feet shows who we are! 

 

2.    Washing feet shows where we come from! 

 

3.    Washing feet shows to whom we belong!

 

Joh 13:35 “By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

 

So what does washing feet look like in our lives?

 

Actually, we are pretty special!  How many people can approach a complete stranger, orient ourselves to their lifestyle and needs and offer assistance while building a lasting and meaningful rapport with the person?  Not many in today’s world.  But we should be able to.  John Wooden once said; “Treat all people with dignity and respect.”

 

Who do we wash?  In the feet washing business we are very much in need.   We are needed to assist the older church population.  We are needed to assist the new church population.  We are needed to assist non-Christians who are seeking a solution to life.  We are needed to light the path for a world population that does not know they are seeking anything yet.

 

Jas 2:8-9 If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you do well; but if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors.

 

Who do we wash?  Many people in the church have various kinds of needs while others just need companionship because they are lonely or afraid to be alone.  Some are in need because they have grown old and some have need due to medical reasons and some have need due to life situations.  We all have needs.  No one is a rock without needs.  Everyone needs their feet washed by someone.  It is not easy to allow other individuals to wash our feet.  Peter had issues with Jesus washing his feet.  Jesus said we have no part with Him if we do not allow feet washing:  a tough warning to swallow by manly men.

 

Feet washing is a sign of respect.  John Wooden also said that “Happiness begins where selfishness ends.”  Respect is an attitude.  Respect is letting others be themselves.  Feet washing is not about us it is about the one we wash.  We need to respect that person for who they are.  It is easy to say “I love you” and that is why I help but that is phony if the heart is not in it.  It is as phony as saying I love chocolate cake or ice cream.  There is no depth to that kind of love because there is no respect.  Real love requires respect of the other.  Love is an attitude that has to grow.  It has to start with a foundation.  That foundation must be humbleness in Jesus to be genuine.   We surely do not like everyone in our lives but we need to respect everyone so that the love of Jesus will grow in them and us.

 

Jas 2:1-4 My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality.  For if there should come into your assembly a man with gold rings, in fine apparel, and there should also come in a poor man in filthy clothes, and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say to him, “You sit here in a good place,” and say to the poor man, “You stand there,” or, “Sit here at my footstool,” have you not shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts?

 

When we wash feet, we are respecting a person’s background without judgment of the person.  Respect starts for a person where they are in life not where we want them to be or where we think they should be.  Everyone has a story.  We all got to where we are by different roads.  We all do not walk the same paths in life.  The people we come in contact with in our daily walk have lived a lot of life before they arrive at our door step.  They do not see themselves the same way we might see them.  Respect them!  Wash their feet starting from where they are not from where we want them to be.

 

Jas 1:19-20 So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.

 

Jas 3:6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell.

 

Remember that washing feet is offering courtesy to others.  Courtesy is also an attitude.  It means be polite.  It means to offer real smiles.  Let the person you are washing the feet of know you are happy to be there with them.  Let the person know you are happy to be serving them.  Let them know you are happy to be helping them in some way.  It is not about you – it is about them.

 

Jas 2:13 For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

 

The goals of washing another’s feet.

 

One might consider the attributes that are used or built up when honest foot washing is applied to life:

 

Friendliness

Joy

Courtesy

Consideration

Mercy

Compassion (the word used most in the NT to describe the character of Jesus)

Peace

Thoughtfulness

Kindness

Respectfulness

Grace

Gentleness

Caring

Love

Self-control

Humility

 

Gal 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.

 

A clear reminder of all the commands of Jesus; including the command concerning washing of the feet was stated by Paul who wrote in Philp 2:5 “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,”