My Grandmother's Towel

by Svetlana Papazov

My early childhood memories often clamor for attention as pictures, sounds, and smells bounce in my head. I see images of dolls gathered in circles, feel their wrinkled dresses as I settle them for a story time, and hear myself reciting captivating tales for hours on end.  

I made sure that no toy was left outside of the circle. Even the ones without a hand or a foot were included. Some dolls were quite old and looked disheveled but that didn’t border me. I guess I loved the tattered once just a bit too much. I made sure there was always room for them in the laundry basket—my makeshift amphitheater for storytelling. They comfortably sat in the company of the rest of my newer dolls.

One time I got really sad because my beat-up but favorite doll was gone. That doll had a chunk of its cheek missing but I didn’t care. It was a very important toy to me. As a matter of fact, every doll was very important to me regardless of how many dolls I had. My older sister often asked me if I am ready to give up some of my falling apart, scruffy dolls that cluttered the toy chest but I absolutely refused to do so. When I discovered that my doll-friend went missing I turned the whole house upside down but didn’t find it.

Sometimes later I realized my sister had gathered my oldest, and what she considered useless toys, and had thrown them away. Before you judge her too harshly, the doll I am talking about looked horrendous but in spite of it, or maybe because of it, somehow I loved it the most. Now my trusted doll was gone. I was undone and cried my heart out. My sister was as devastated as I was. She’d realized she had thrown away something that looked of no value to her because it was broken beyond repair, yet her sister loved it beyond any other treasure she owned. That day we both learned a lesson in love and value.

My tears kept gushing out as though a faucet was opened up at full blast. Surely my sister tried to console me but I don’t remember it. It must’ve not worked. What I remember was a comforting, childhood smell connected to my most miserable days. The smell of my Grandmother’s towel! My grandma’s apron towel smelled more like wet plates than a fine handkerchief but there was nothing more soothing to my crying eyes than her towel’s gentle wipe.     

My grandma didn’t blame the source of my tears. She never argued my tears away. She only lovingly, patiently cleansed my face with the softness of her towel. And as a little kid I knew that just in a little bit things will be well again. There was never any pretense with my grandmother, nor judgment and presupposition of my guilt or innocence. Whenever I was devastated and messed up and tears rolled down my cheeks, there was grandma with her towel, wiping my misery away, loving me kindly and completely. 

Every time my grandma picked up her towel she silently and profoundly taught my sister and me a lesson in love and value. Just like Jesus did. He loved us to the end and before he ascended to the highest place in heaven he knelt to the lowest place on earth—at the feet of his enemy, Judas Iscariot, the betrayer.

“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 robe, 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” John 13:3-5.

Jesus took off his robe of dignity and took on a towel of vulnerability. Only then he was able to kneel before his messy neighbors. Jesus truly loved us to the end and left us an example to follow. For when we come into God we come to serve. We are invited to take a towel and do as Jesus did—wash messy feet. When Jesus knew he was elevated to the highest position he knelt to the lowest and became a servant. Are we ready to serve our neighbor as Jesus did?

Visit www.RealLifeChurchRVA.org

Aligning with God

In the Richmond, Virginia, metro area, less than 20% go to church on a Sunday morning. 80% don’t see the need to connect with God and those on the same journey. 

If we are passionate about something, we usually align with like-minded people. Many of us dream of partnering with those who have influence that we admire.  Many times we believe by being partnered with them that our lives would change dramatically.

Q1: Did you know we have someone in our lives that is looking for people to partner with?

His name is Jesus. Jesus is not a fairy tale or aspirational theory, Jesus came 2000 years ago in flesh like you and I, he walked the streets to represent who God truly is. 

God the creator spoke you into existence and then He came back to reconcile what was broken between us and God. Because He is that real, He transcends time and space. In fact, He is with us at this very moment wanting to partner with us.

The alliances we make in life influence us and in return, we influence others. We do not become an influencer until we align with the people we identify with. 

We can be transformational influencers when we partner with God.  

Sometimes we think that certain places are better than others to get to know God. We think that our environment predicates how well God can be known. 

We know about Him, but there is a lot that we do not know. God is a mystery, and our brains are limited in our understanding of who He is, but our hearts can connect with who God is.

Some of us shy away from difficult circumstances and feel that some cultures are more prone to hear and know about God. God created the entire race and discloses Himself to all people. Wherever you are today, you can know God personally and you can lead others to know Him.

Read Daniel 1:1-9

Daniel decided to stand for his faith and was rewarded for it. Sometimes we find ourselves in difficult situations, not sure what to do. The situation may call for compromise and we make the decision to give in and later talk about being a Christian. In the moment of compromise, we have put aside our core values and what we believe in.

If we do not put God on display, it is hard for others to see God because they just see our words, not our actions. In the midst of circumstances, we must choose to stand up for God, and when we make that decision, He will show up.

Q2: In what areas of your life have you been challenged to stand up for God?  

God is in the Now. With His alliance we have influence in the marketplace, in our homes, and among the people we have been placed around.

When we follow God, He brings favor and compassion.  Often we will blame our environment and the people we are around to avoid showing our true selves. The culture Daniel lived in was contrary to all of his beliefs.  It was a country that served false Gods, and the country was hostile to him. In the midst of where he was, he made a decision to stand for God.

When we make a decision to stand for God, He always shows up. God is not looking for perfect humans in perfect conditions to influence people for God;  He’s looking for those who will partner with Him.

Q3: If you want to truly know God, will you partner with Him in your life?

The transforming power of God will be foreign to us, until we have chosen to partner with Him. 

Daniel did not know what would happen with his life, but proposed that he would show who God was through all situations. Due to his faithfulness, God blessed him to speak out of His wisdom and speak out futures of what was to come.

The king needed someone to interpret a dream, and God gave the answer to the dream to Daniel.  Daniel was given gifts that positioned him to influence the entire empire of Babylon. We limit the gifts in the Bible to those who are in church leadership, but it’s not true. God has given all of us gifts to be used outside of the church walls to bless others in the marketplace.

Because God is in the now, He understands what is going on.  As we keep open communication with Him, we can stand in the gap for our neighbors, co-workers, and families to pray for them, to speak wisdom and encouragement, to be the hands of God to transform the lives of others in the Now.

Daniel worked under three pagan kings, they all promoted him to new positions because he allowed God to always be in the now; working on his behalf to bless him so he could influence an entire empire for the glory of God.

If you want your negative circumstances to change into a launching pad of influence, then let God be a Now God, to show Himself through you. Daniel did not compromise through his difficult decisions. He decided that his alignment with God was better than any gift any man could give him. Just as the pagans in this culture worshiped false Gods, we do the same today. We worship the money in our pockets, fame, and we do not take a stand for the purposes of God.

The beauty is that God is a Now God. He does not live in the past. Despite what you have done, you can take it to Him and He will forgive your past mistakes and He will be excited to embrace the present and future with you as you choose to align with Him.

Reflection: Are we ready to stand up for God to be a Contemporary Daniel?

Prayer: God, we love you.  Thank you for your forgiveness that covers all of our sins.  Give us the courage to step out and put you on display. No matter the situation, give us the strength to not compromise your will for our own.  We love you. Amen.

Position

Q1: How are you positioning yourself to experience Jesus, who is passing by?

Sometimes we position ourselves with the intent to see Jesus and immediately do as he leads. But I've seen often how we'd climb "a tree" for a Jesus encounter only to continue to sit perched when Jesus calls us to join him in the work he has for us. We stay in the tree overlooking Jesus because people mutter; other times because we feel disqualified by our past, or worse, because there's too much work in the call to serve. 

But Zacchaeus' story was different. 

Read Luke 19:1-10

Because of Zacchaeus' physical stature, societal structure, and social sphere, there were obstacles that prevented him from seeing Jesus. There are obstacles in our lives that prevent us from seeing Jesus when he comes by but we are not to focus on the obstacles, because if we do, we won't be able to see the divine opportunities in life. 

The question is not what we cannot do but what to do. If you want it you will find a way to do it. 

Zacchaeus couldn't see Jesus entered Jericho and a man was there. We read of one man in a city full of people, a city that had become one of the most desirable places to live during Jesus' time. 

John Wesley, in his New Testament notes on this section of Luke's gospel, claimed that about twelve thousand priests and Levites dwelt there who all attended the service of the temple. There was an entire crowd around Jesus, but we don't know much about that crowd or the priests. Instead, we learn about one of the greatest sinners in Jericho at that time- a chief tax collector. 

Tax-Collectors were despised by their fellow Jews. There were an ever-present symbol of foreign oppression. They used cruel methods to become wealthy at the expense of their countrymen and they worked in close association with Gentiles. For these reasons, tax-collectors were treated as the lowest class of sinners. Socially, they were rejected. Politically, they were regarded as traitors. Religiously, they were excommunicated as renegades. Legally, they were disregarded in the courts. 

They community did not see any value in Zacchaeus. Zacchaeus' human dignity was stepped all over. He was not considered worthy of respect, acceptance, and love. 

Q2: How does Jesus respond? 

He goes to spend time with Zacchaeus. Given the status of tax collectors in Jewish society, it is remarkable that Jesus reached out to tax collectors. The power of redemption and restoration is so great that there is not class of people beyond the scope of God's mercy. 

Jesus must stop if we desire him. Must in this case means necessity brought on by the conduct of others toward us. A person is compelled to react in response to the actions of someone else toward them. At the intersection of Jesus' presence and our desire for Jesus begins our journey of restoration. 

Jesus always intersect our lives. He is in all spheres of society. There is no place too broken that he does not enter. When we are in proximity to Jesus our desire for Jesus increases and we can position ourselves to see Jesus face to face. 

Jesus knew Zacchaus by name. He knows you by name. He enters your life daily. 

Reflection: Are you looking and positioning yourself to see Jesus? 

Prayer: Thank you Lord for always seeing us. When hardship comes let us remember to intentionally position ourselves to see you.