Birthing Hope

What does it mean to have Jesus wash your feet? It wasn't just Jesus being kind or doing an act of humility and service, though that was definitely part of it. But it has spiritual significance and spiritual meaning beyond humbling ourselves and serving one another. So what does it mean? I'll give you a hint... The answer lies within his conversation with Peter.

John 13:1 It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.

2 The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. 3 Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; 4 so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. 5 After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.

6 He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”

7 Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”

8 “No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.”

Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.”

9 “Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!”

10 Jesus answered, “Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.” 11 For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean.

12 When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. 13 “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. 14 Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. 15 I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. 16 Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17 Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.
.
.
.
Peter, out of respect for Jesus, didn't want Jesus to wash his feet. But Jesus said, "Unless I wash you, you have no part with me."

(That's our first hint. We MUST be washed by Jesus to be in relationship with Him. This leads me to think cleansing of sin by his blood, salvation.)

Peter, who loves Jesus and wants to be in relationship with Him responds, "Then, Lord, not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!”

And Jesus replies, "Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.” For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean.

Spiritually, Peter was already clean. Peter was already right before God; he was in relationship with Jesus. The same for the other disciplines. And we know this is spiritual, and not just physical cleanliness, because Jesus does not call Judas clean, because Judas was NOT spiritually right before God.

So what does it mean to have your feet washed by Jesus?

The revelation came to me a few years ago. I had actually been praying that God reveal this passage of scripture to me. I had just gotten out of the shower. And walked barefoot across the floor. I looked down at my feet and saw that they were dirty. I rolled my eyes and went back to the tub to just rinse my feet off again. And that's when it hit me. My whole body was clean... But my feet had gotten dirty again so quickly.

As believers, when we put our faith in the finished work of Jesus on the cross, He washes us clean. We are free from sin. But, as we walk through this fallen world, our "feet get dirty." And we must continuously return to God to repent, ask for forgiveness, and then keep walking.

Putting our faith in Jesus as the Son of God who died for our sin and was raised to conquer death is the thing that washes our whole body clean.

But we still must turn to Him to cleanse us and keep us pure in our Christian walk. We still must let Him "wash our feet" from sin in repentance from sin.

And, as Christians, we are also called to humble ourselves and forgive one another, just as God, for Christ's sake, has forgiven us. This is what it means to wash one another's feet.

Jesus will wash the feet of ANYONE who comes to Him. Anyone who comes to Him in REPENTANCE, anyone, who confesses their sin, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

But most importantly, He wants to make ALL of you clean. Not just your feet. The gift is free to ANY who will receive it.

"Yet to ALL who did receive him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God..."

"For God so loved the WORLD that He gave His only begotten Son, that WHOSOEVER believes in Him, shall not perish but have eternal life."

1 year ago | [YT] | 3

Birthing Hope

Hello friends! Thank you for your patience with me.

Most vulnerable post ever... I could never do this in a video 😂 I can feel my face flaming red already, just typing.

Life threw us some challenges near the end of 2023, and then I needed to prioritize caring for my family throughout the holidays.

I do want to clarify that the problem has resolved, and our family is healthy, and all is well!

I started this YouTube channel with the goal of consistency and commitment... And I've had to be careful not to beat myself up for not creating the videos I had hoped to in the past few months.

However.

I am not going to discontinue the channel because I had a few bad months. (This may seem like a no brainer, but I am the person who throws away journals because I wasn't consistent in them, or who rips out ALL the front pages of my planner because I feel ashamed that I didn't use it. Lol!) Is it over dramatic? Absolutely. Is it wise? Not at all. But for whatever reason, I often default to, "this isn't working like I thought; new plan!" So I just want to put it out there to all of you... Not this time. And even if I drop off the planet for a bit and hop back on, I will, because I'm deciding to invest here. This channel isn't going anywhere. There, I said it! Haha!

I will aim for consistency and excellence. But God and my family will always come first. They are my front burners. My doula business and YouTube channels are my side dishes, but I may need to move YouTube to a backburner from time to time.

I want to lay out a few realities. Not as an excuse. But as a context. Also recognizing that this is hardly a challenge compared to many other situations, and fully acknowledging that I am BLESSED.
-I need to take my son out of the apartment with me to do laundry.
-We have no washing machine for dishes.
-I need to reserve childcare for doctor's appointments and births (when I am on call as a doula)

All of this makes it extremely difficult to find time to film and edit. Add to that my insecurities:
-looks/voice (I mean who really LOVES seeing themselves in camera?! 😂)
-clothing (I have a pretty minimal wardrobe, which I am happy with, but sometimes I wonder if it's weird in videos.)
-lighting (the way our apartment is set up is just really hard to find good lighting)
-video/audio/editing quality. I don't have the best equipment (or skills 😂)

And most embarrassing to me as a homemaking channel:
-our apartment itself. It is OLD. And we are not willing to invest financially into a place that is not ours. So there are awful things, like cracks in walls, baseboards that were painted right with the wall with clumpy paint. Tiles that no matter how hard I scrub or what products I use will always look dirty, because they are old. Etc.
-I have decluttered, organized, gotten into awesome cleaning routines and I LOVE my home and feel like it works for me, not me working for it.
...But will it look that way on camera? Probably not.

All this to say. I'm going to be vulnerable from now on. The lighting may be bad. My home may be run down. And there might even be times when it looks like a mess. It certainly does not have that YouTuber aesthetic. But I have learned so much over the years that I want to share with you, and I am not going to allow my insecurities (real or perceived) to be the thing that keeps me from doing that.

This trial we went through in 2023 has refocused me for 2024. It made me reevaluate. What systems are working despite some upheaval? What systems need improvement? Where are the gaps in my homemaking? But more importantly, where are the gaps in my relationship with God? With my husband? With my son? How can I be the Christian, the wife, and the mother God has called me to be?

God has allowed me to use this experience to approach you all from a place of humility. Please don't ever hear me saying that you need to "get it all together, like me." Far from it. There are days we order pizza. There are days the place is a wreck. There are days we fight. There are days I feel so distant from God. And yet God has called us not to accept the "hot mess," but rather to depend on Him, and day by day be conformed into the person He is making us to be.

I looked over my notes for videos I have planned, and have been taking my own advice. It's actually been helpful! Thank God I wrote it all down before the metaphorical storm hit 😂 I am excited to share with you the things that have been on my heart and mind these last few months/weeks.

In this new year, I hope you will join me in the following:
-Trusting God and becoming dependent on Him when times are hard.
-Following what He asks us to do, no matter how simple or difficult.
-Building meaningful relationships (prioritizing marriage, parenting, and friendships).

Being a homemaker is cultivating the environment in which you and your family have the ability to thrive in these goals.

So I'm excited to begin making videos again.

No fear. No shame. I am blessed.

Thank you for being here.

Let's keep our eyes on Jesus, friends :)

1 year ago | [YT] | 5

Birthing Hope

I've been really enjoying these encouraging messages from ‪@10MinuteTransformation‬!

Let's find contentment in our current situation today through Christ who gives us strength!

2 years ago | [YT] | 1

Birthing Hope

Which title would you be most likely to click on?

2 years ago | [YT] | 2

Birthing Hope

I just love my little boy so much. To think that the love I have for him is only a fraction of the love that God has for him... for us... all of us... It leaves me in awe of Him. Oh, my Creator God, how I love You!

For God so loved the WORLD that He gave His one and only Son that WHOSOEVER believes in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life. (Jesus, John 3:16)

2 years ago | [YT] | 5

Birthing Hope

Thank you for being here! Drop me a comment here, and I'll try to answer it for you, either in a video or in a Q&A session!

2 years ago | [YT] | 1