Today, I am taking a bold first step into publicly admitting something I’ve been doing privately for quite sometime now. It’s time to be brave.  It’s time to break the silence. It’s time to show my true colors. So here goes, the truth is this:  I’m a man who likes manicures! There I said it! Wow, I feel so much better now! Before you think I’ve turned in my man card, let me explain, there’s nothing manlier than a guy getting a manicure or pedicure. Think about it, you get to sit perched high on a throne  while your back gets massaged and you have some beautiful exotic  woman caressing your feet. Hey, what’s not to like about that situation? The only thing missing is someone to feed me grapes and fan me.  There was a time though, I used to not do this because of the embarrassment it could cause.  I used to think, this is wrong, real men don’t go to nail salons, only wussies who like to carry man purses. But then I started to see other men there too and suddenly it didn’t feel so bad. I actually liked the results of how I looked and felt better about myself too.  But I got to thinking, why did I make such a big deal at first? It’s not like I’m getting my nails painted, I’m just keeping myself clean and well trimmed. Nothing wrong with that but it’s funny how we stereotype in this life and how we let that impact our lives and decisions we make. I even felt sorry once for the people doing my feet. I thought to myself how much I would hate a job like that. I wouldn’t want to clean people’s feet, what a demeaning job. You’d have to be a loser to do that job. But then God had to remind me, Jesus doesn’t stereotype by gender, He doesn’t discriminate or devalue a person based on what one does for a living either. No one is a loser in God’s eyes. In fact God had to remind me that Jesus specializes in pedicures. Jesus who was all God, left the comforts of His kingdom and instead of ruling over us, He became a humbled servant, picked up a rag and washed His disciples feet. He didn’t care how He looked. His disciples did. In fact they tried to stop Him but He insisted regardless. His whole point was to demonstrate for us that what’s really important is to serve others and that means humbling yourself so others can know His love. Sometimes I can get too caught up in how people perceive me.  I allow society to dictate in my life what’s important and how I should act but God has to point out over and over again that He looks at things a little differently. Jesus, when He came to earth turned everything upside down. While His disciples were arguing who is going to be the greatest in the kingdom, Jesus was more interested in letting the little children come unto him.  He defied all stereotypes of what a King should look like and instead of a chariot, He rode into Jerusalem on a donkey. What success is to God is really failure in the world’s eyes. So, whenever we find ourselves subjecting to the false stereotypes and narratives of what is important in this life, and who has value, let’s remember how Jesus lived and how He viewed others. And when we still get our feet messy in this life, cause we will, what a comfort it is to know that we can always find His salon still open for business. A place where we can find God waiting for us on His knees, with towel in His hand, ready to refresh us with His love.  I get them all the time. I call it a Jesus pedicure and that my friend, is nothing to be ashamed about.

John 13:14-17

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.