The weather has been very hot lately; and as someone whose
personal preference is cool weather, I find cold water important to have
around. Sometimes though, even as I keep drinking water, the heat takes its
toll. Chilling in the heat, I know my body needs to rehydrate and cool off. It
can be easy to take clean water for granted where the turn of a handle gives that
in a reliable fashion of varying temperatures. Yet, water is a necessary liquid
for our bodies to function. Found in cells, tissues and organs, water
allows our body to function properly in varying temperatures and is a
large portion of our physical makeup.
Visiting the Des Moines Botanical Garden, I walked to the
waterfall at one end of the outdoor gardens. The sun was hot, my hands were
hot, there wasn’t a sign saying don’t touch; so my hand went into the
waterfall. I was splashed with droplets and felt the cooling impact where the
moisture landed. Wonderfully refreshing, it took a measure of self-control to
not just remove my tennis shoes and opt for a stroll through the pool in front
of the falls.
Water to nourish, to
cool, to bring life to arid places; indeed a liquid necessary for life.
Then, there is this living water referred to in John 4. Living water, a self-replenishing gift, is offered. The liquid that is necessary for our
physical life to continue is found in the well. The living water found in Christ is offered freely, as a gift, drawn from his well spring that never runs dry.
It is not the refreshment from the heat of the day that it offers; but healing
from the burns of the world.
Jesus answered her, “If
you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would
have asked him and he would have given you living water.” John
4:10
