“Peter said to him, ‘You will never wash my feet.’ Jesus answered him, ‘Unless I wash you, you will have no inheritance with me’.”
Peter clearly expresses feelings of unworthiness and Christ corrects him immediately and explains that such a feeling is an obstacle to final beatitude. No inheritance. Inheritance is a legacy, a birthright, an endowment, or an elevation to something greater. When we feel unworthy, we are filled with self-doubt and it definitely guides our behaviors, our words, even our body-language. We ask ourselves, how is it possible that we are deserving of something so wonderful?
If we wallow in those feelings of self-doubt, we put up a wall between ourselves and God. We linger on why we aren’t worthy, and risk not trusting that we have been forgiven and saved. We fail to see the good that he created within us. Feeling unworthy ushers in a whole host of other problems that derail our efforts to grow spiritually and in holiness. Maybe you are like me — and maybe it’s not easy for you to feel worthy. Pull out that Bible and reflect on John 13 a little. It’s a start.