Roll Up Your Pant Leg

The funeral of my friend’s father brought back all sorts of memories.
I was reluctant to go on the whirlwind trip to Europe that my father seem to need.
However, through that trip, I met a special lady.

When you go on a tour like that, you are with the same group of people.
Meeting the Garrisons was just what I needed.
Mrs. Garrison seemed to intuitively know exactly what I needed.

She could have been my grandmother and lovingly took me under her wing.
She protected me from things she thought I was too young to see.
She filled in all the gaps that my father was not able to fill.

She was your typical southern belle.
Well dressed, big hair coiffed in the most current style.
She always carried a large purse that had everything but the kitchen sink inside.
She was ready for anything; she was the go-to person in the group.

I could have listened to her southern accent all day.
I giggled at her expressions and tried to hide the fact that they made me laugh.
She knew that, too, but she didn’t care.
She was like no one I had ever known; the best medicine for what ailed me.

What I remember most about Mrs. Garrison was going to the ladies room with her.
She would never let me venture into one of those European loos all by myself.
She performed the same ritual every time.
Before she even went inside, she would roll her pant leg above her knees.

I looked at her, not believing what I was witnessing.
She would give me her over sized purse to hold, as she systematically rolled, and neatly folded, her pant leg. Handing the over sized purse back to her, she would swing it onto her shoulder, and we would venture into one of those European loos together.

After seeing her perform that same ritual everywhere we went, I finally asked her about it.
Mrs. Garrison, why do you do that? Why do you roll up you pant leg?
Honey, I’m not letting anything of mine touch those floors! You don’t know where people’s shoes have been!

Perfectly clear!
The over sized purse clanked against the door.
She didn’t let that touch anything either.
She was adamant about keeping her things clean.
You don’t know where people’s shoes have been!

Then Jesus went around teaching from village to village. Calling the Twelve to Him, He sent them out two by two and gave them authority over evil spirits. These were His instructions: Take nothing for the journey except a staff, no bread, no bag, no money in your belts. Wear sandals but not an extra tunic. Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that town. And if any place will not welcome you or listen to you, shake the dust off your feet when you leave, as a testimony against them. (Mark 6:6-11)

This was common practice in Jesus’ day.
The Gentile areas were considered unclean.
A Jew would shake the Gentile dust off his feet before returning to his own town.
Jesus took this practice one step further.

If people would not listen to His apostles, or would not welcome them when they were on mission, the dust of that town was to be shaken off their feet.
It was a judgment; it was a testimony against the people of the town.
Since the apostles were Jesus’ representatives, rejection of them was rejection of Him.

Mrs. Garrison was doing the same thing.
When she rolled up her pant leg, she was not allowing anything unclean to touch her.

We could take a few lessons from her.
What if we rolled up our pant leg before going into the movie theater?
What if we rolled up our pant leg before entering our schools?
What if we rolled up our pant leg before we watched TV?

Symbolic, yet loaded with meaning.

I have given them Your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. My prayer is not that You take them out of the world but that You protect them from the evil one. (John 17:14,15)

Even Jesus knew that rolling up your pant leg is necessary here.
We are in the world but not of the world.
Mrs. Garrison seemed to know that in her own unique way.

But just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written:
“Be holy because I am holy.” (1 Peter 1:15,16)

Roll up your pant leg!
You don’t know where people’s shoes have been!