I arrived in Kona, Hawaii on April 7th, 2022. It has been exactly one month since I arrived here for my disciple training school (DTS) with YWAM Ships. My time here has been a radical season of transformation and growth. As I’m writing this, I don’t even know where to start, as I’ve just been bombarded by the fullness of God’s love and grace.
Honestly, I was very broken when I arrived. I had been serving in full time youth ministry for two years. The ironic thing about my time in ministry was that I wasn’t fully surrendered to Christ. I was preaching weekly sermons, leading weekly bible studies, and preparing for yearly youth retreats, but I was far from the heart of God. I was doing Jesus without knowing Jesus. I had one foot in the world and the other in God, being torn apart by contrasting desires. I wanted so desperately to be with God but the things of the world were so enticing to me. I was truly at the fountain of sin, gratifying the desires of my flesh and living the way I decided was best for me. I was truly grieving the Holy Spirit.
That all changed when I arrived in Kona. I don’t know what it was but God had prepared a special blessing of grace and peace as soon as I stepped off the plane. The sun was just setting over the coastline of the beach and I could smell the ocean breeze in the air. That’s when it hit me. Suddenly the peace of God’s presence entered my heart without warning, without permission. I knew something had changed.
If I was to list all of the miracles I’ve experienced in my short time in Hawaii, it would truly take an hour to read this post. So I’ll just summarize how the hand of God has been moving in my life.
I have received true faith in Jesus.
I have fully surrendered my life to Jesus.
I have found freedom from addiction.
I have found freedom from depression.
I have found reconciliation with my family.
My eyes have been opened to God’s truth.
My heart has been deeply and intimately touched by God’s love
My ears have been opened to hear God’s voice.
I have been given the gift of obedience.
My pride has been shattered.
My previous dreams, desires, and goals have been laid at the foot of the cross.
Jesus has become my joy and my delight.
I have become a worshipper who worships in Spirit and in Truth.
I have fully repented unto salvation.
I have been gifted a passion for God’s word.
I have been called into a life time of servanthood.
I have been called into a life time of pastoring.
I have been called into a life time of missions.
The crazy thing about this list is that I could probably go on for hours listing how the faithfulness of God has met me in my brokenness and sin. One question that has been on my heart during my time here is: How can I be more like Jesus?
One particular passage found in the Gospel of John has been speaking to me like a trumpet call. It comes from John 13:1-17, the story where Jesus is washing the feet of His disciples before being betrayed by Judas. Why would the King of Kings, the Glorious One, the Name above all Names, stoop down to the level of the lowest servant to wash our feet? In this passage there is a short dialogue between Simon Peter and Jesus, where Peter refuses to have his feet washed by Jesus. Jesus responds by saying, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.” Knowing he was to be denied by Peter three times, Jesus still chose to love on His disciples despite the suffering and betrayal that lay before Him on His journey to the cross.
And the answer to this question is so simple, yet profound:
“Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.”
The reason Jesus washed His disciples feet was not simply because He loves us. But He loves us so much that he wanted to impart a gift greater than receiving, which is to give. Jesus was revealing a secret in the Kingdom of God, which is the truth that it is always better to give than receive. In giving, we receive a gift that is greater than what we could ever receive from others, which is the heart of God! God’s heart to bless. God’s heart to love others. God’s heart to show humility.
One simple way I have been taught this in my time in Kona is through my work duties. I am on the hospitality team for my base and have to clean the whole base 5 days of the week. This was really hard for me in the beginning, but the Lord asked me a question that pierced the heart of my pride. “Do you love my house enough to do the dirty work in my Kingdom?” I realized that through simple tasks like vacuuming the floors, cleaning the bathroom stalls, and wiping and sanitizing windows, the Lord was purifying my inner heart. My cup which was clean but dirty in the inside was getting its first wash.
My prayer for whoever is reading this is that the Lord would begin His miraculous work in you today. That he would transform you into the image of His son. That you would experience the same Jesus that I’ve been falling in love with every day here in Kona, Hawaii. If we want to be more like Jesus, we must wash the feet of the world!
