You Are Still Worthy

Hello Sweet Friend, I hope this blog brings a little encouragement to you. The last couple of months have been so fruitful yet so challenging. There have been times that I have wanted to give up on community or even give up on myself but I am so grateful that in my weakness my Jesus is made strong. What a kind Father we serve for Him to give His strength to us when He sees us at the end of our rope.
Like I have mentioned in previous blogs, the Lord has been speaking to me through stories while being on the field and it has been so tender. (Gotta love that World Race word…) As the week of Easter approached the Lord gave me the story below.

Imagine with me a woman walking on the side of the road up a steep hill with no shoes. Her feet are filthy and callused. She is carrying heavy bags on her shoulders and arms. You see that the bags that she is carrying are bursting full of random items and some of the handles are starting to snap. You stop your car and ask where she is headed and you find out that she has countless miles to walk. You offer her your help and she turns you down. You are persistent in offering help because her pain is visible and you refuse to let her continue her journey without removing the bags she is carrying or at least offering her a pair of shoes to make the trip a little less painful. She continues to turn down the offer on the table. So you then choose to ask one more question before going on your way. You simply ask her to come to your house so that you can help her clean up and relax and recover from the wounds that she has from the bags cutting into her arms and shoulders, her blistered feet, and her exhaustion. You have finally convinced her that she could use the help. You take her to your home and carry her bags for her. As you invite her into the door she is humiliated as she is filthy from head to toe from her journey and she feels unworthy to be near you because she is too tainted to be welcomed into your home and sit in your presence. You get on your knees and choose to wash her feet and give her a change of clean clothes. Tears stream down her face in gratitude.

 

 

I have learned this past week that I am a stubborn woman who refused to accept help from Jesus. He has been persistent in trying to remove my baggage while being on the race and I had allowed my pride to callus my heart just like the feet of this woman. I am so thankful that Jesus will never grow impatient with me. I had a hard time connecting with Jesus on my sabbaths because I didn’t understand how He could still want to be in my space after I had chosen to shut him out so many times. I had become a professional at wearing a mask and acting like I had it all together when in reality my walk with Him has been at a surface level for the majority of my life. I had this mentality that my feet were too dirty from walking my path. Jesus spoke some really powerful words over me on my sabbath right before Easter. Those words being “Chelsey, your feet may be dirty, but I still see you as worthy.’’ I have a hard time wrapping my head around the thought that Jesus still chooses me even when I am selfish and choose my way over His. He is such a good dad to see the filth and choose to humble Himself to wash my feet. My heart has been wrecked this past week at the fact that the man who is not only willing to get down on His knees and wash my feet and still see me as worthy enough to be in His presence is also the man who sacrificed His life for me because He wanted me to have the opportunity to spend eternity with Him. WOW GOD. He has become tangible to me in this last week, from sitting on the rooftop of our home and feeling the wind blow when I sit down and talk to Jesus, in the hugs I have received from the children of Guatemala City being raised into gangs and just desire to be loved with a love that will never have a limit, from the smiles of the woman joyfully carrying her baby up a muddy mountain; the evidence of His goodness is all around us. The father I serve lets ME partner with Him even when I feel filthy…
because He still calls me worthy.

Friend, there is nothing too dirty that He can’t make worthy. I can promise you that He will ALWAYS choose you, He will ALWAYS want to make you whole, and He will ALWAYS choose to wash your feet because He still sees you as worthy.

Until next time…