Casandra Martin

The warm towels were piled on the bed. Pulling them from the dryer, I thanked God for washing machines, laundry soap, and lint traps. Looking at the stacks of towels spread out on the bed, I see the towels my kids use (and don’t hang up) every day. There are kitchen towels, towels that get used for the inevitable “emergencies,’ towels that we use by the sink and by the tub, and the extra towels that just seem to show up, wet, dirty, and needing to be washed.

Towels are a blessing. I don’t really think a lot about my towels. Mostly, they just show up on my laundry to-do list, but towels are a part of my routine. They move us from wet to dry, sop up messes, soak up the excess, and serve as capes for super heroes. Towels also have the power to help me remember Jesus.

“He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him.” – John 13:4-5

There are many different ways to picture this moment. Right now, watch the towel. It is tied around Jesus’ waist. It becomes a part of Him. As He kneels before each disciple, He takes their dirty feet, washes them, and gently dries them with the towel. The clean towel absorbs their dampness, the imprint of their feet, and the residue of dust that stubbornly clings to their toes. With each man, the towel gets a little soggier, collects a little more dirt, and hangs more limply from His side. That towel becomes a picture of service, salvation, and my Savior.

My Jesus Resolution today is to think about Jesus every time I use a towel. My bath towel can remind me to wrap myself in Jesus as I start my day. My kitchen towels can help me take on the heart of a servant, giving myself in love and humility to the hearts that come my way. My clean-up-the-mess towels can draw my eyes to the cross, igniting thanksgiving in my heart as I remember the way Jesus kneels before me and cleans up the mess that so stubbornly clings to my soul.