A couple of weeks ago I attended a ladies retreat with the women of my church, and we stayed in a lake house. I had a similar "patio chair experience" the second evening we were there. The back yard of this house overlooked the entire lake. I sat in a chair and just stared at the water. It was beautiful, peaceful. It made me forget the worries of life for a fleeting moment and rest. I recently began to wonder what my obsession with water is all about. Why is water the only thing that triggers this response from me? The more I thought about it, the more I was/am convinced that it is a very spiritually rooted response.
If you really think about it, the things Christ offers us are the very things I seem to find when I am near the water. Peace, joy, a refreshed spirit and mind. There is a well known passage in Scripture that tells the story of a woman who goes to a well to draw water. There are many take aways from this story, but I'm only going to focus on what Jesus tells the woman toward the end of the story. Jesus essentially tells her that she can draw as much water from the well as she wants, but she will always have to return because she will eventually thirst again. He went on to explain that He could offer her living water--which would satisfy her soul and quench her eternal thirst.
Jesus Christ is the Living Water.
1. Water cleanses us. Sounds pretty cheesy and cliche, right? Without water we would be pretty dirty people! The same is true with Jesus. He is the only thing that truly cleanses our hearts. You know that feeling when you get out of the shower and you're CLEAN and you just feel so much better? It's the same way on the inside when we are made clean in Christ. It's a burden lifted.
2. Water hydrates us. I'm the worst at staying hydrated. I like Coke and coffee--not the combination for having a rested and well body! We have to drink water consistently throughout our day to be sure our bodies work properly. If we don't, there can be deadly consequences! The same is true in our walk with Christ. If we only take a sip here and there while we chug coke and coffee (our busy schedules, demands, and sin) then we aren't going to be rested on the inside. We feel drained emotionally and physically--it causes us to become weak minded and believe untrue things about ourselves and our lives.
3. Water eases pain. At the end of a long day, our feet hurt. Our backs ache. We have tension in our necks and shoulders. Slipping into a warm bath and soaking in the tub will literally take pressure off of all those aches and pains! I remember going to a hotel when I was very pregnant just so I could soak in a large tub to ease my back pain. It was heavenly! Christ offers us healing and comfort when we hurt. When we become still in his presence and soak in his Word, there is an easing of pain found there.
4. Water brings joy! Some of my favorite childhood memories involve swimming in the pool with my dad. Being outside and playing in the water is so fun! When I was in high school I worked at a water park during the summer months. The joy that you see on a child's face when they enter a water park is priceless! Much like that, the life that Jesus offers us brings joy. No, it's not always fun. No, it's not easy--but joy is a much deeper emotion than happiness. It's intricately woven together with peace. It's knowing that you can rejoice even in the difficult times because your eternity is spoken for, and this is all temporary.
John 4:13-14
Jesus replied, "Anyone who drinks this water will become thirsty again. But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life."
Psalm 87:7
The people will play flutes and sing, "The source of my life springs from Jerusalem."
The people will play flutes and sing, "The source of my life springs from Jerusalem."
