Water Water Everywhere...
Are you a water person? You know who you are… you need to be near water on vacation or your house has a pool or pond nearby. I am not really a water person, I can take it or leave it. However, my son is truly a water person. I say, “His medium is water. When he is in the water he thinks better, does math facts faster, and remembers spelling words better. While his arms float, his mind can focus on answering questions and learning.” If he had his dream, we would live by a lake with a pool behind our house and a “current” pool in the basement or backyard for exercise. Water everywhere would be his joy.
Now my son is not a fan of cold weather. Snow or ice means he will stay inside and avoid going out until the mercury rises again. I may have been the mean mom who made him help shovel the snow, but I did protect him from his sisters’ snowball assaults. He watched people sled and build snowmen, but he rarely participated. When his favorite medium is in its solid form, he is not a fan. But once it melts, he loves it and dives right in.
God created us to need water. Water is key to life, it is good for exercise and required for healthy living. Water vapor in the air is part of the water cycle which provides us with fresh water. God created the earth at the perfect distance from the sun, at the perfect tilt of the axis, and at the perfect rotational speed to allow for water to stay on the earth and for us to live. It refreshes us when we are dry or have been exercising. It helps cool us off through our sweat. Our bodies are 60% water.
Yet many times during the day, I find myself craving water because I haven’t been drinking water regularly. When I drink water throughout the day, I feel better, think clearer, and snack less. Pausing to drink water also reminds me to pray. As I pour water into my glass, I ask God to pour the Holy Spirit into me. As I drink the water, I pray that God may fill me and allow me to pour out to others.
When I pour out to others, I help them. Yet if I pour from an empty cup, I can’t do as much of what God wants. I need to spend time refilling and replenishing. Sometimes God calls me to say no to volunteer opportunities. Saying no is hard for me. I need to prioritize time to study God’s Word and spend time with Him which fills me up.
But now thus says the Lord,
he who created you, O Jacob,
he who formed you, O Israel:
“Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by name, you are mine.
2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;
when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,
and the flame shall not consume you.
Isaiah 43:1-2
Many of our readings this week relate to water and our hearts. God reminds us what is in our hearts flows out of our mouths and lives. If we fill our hearts with Living Water, life will flow out of us. This week we will reflect on areas of our lives where we pour out our hearts. Are we pouring out living water into our families? Into our work? Into our neighborhood? Where do we need to pour out more? Where do we need to fill up more?
