I stood at the pump and looked at the sign and got thirsty. I’ve grown accustomed to ignoring advertising that waves, yells, and flashes at me. Yet on this very hot summer day as I was pumping gas, the picture promising “Any drink only 69¢” was very appealing. The glass was tall and filled with ice. There was a strong gush of cola dropping into an already filled glass and splashing over the sides. Even the sign itself had what looked like condensed drops of water on it. I wanted a coke! (I’ll wait while you go to the kitchen.)
I stood there for a minute and thought about Weight Watchers (because at this point I’m considering that only a full-fledged, sugar-loaded, caffeine-packed glassful will do) and I thought about the fact that I would drink it down and still be thirsty. Because when you’re really thirsty only water does the trick. (I’m so pleased that you’re thinking ahead of me.)
And so yes, I considered that our attention is constantly receiving messages from this world that say, “Take what I have to offer. It’s the only thing that can satisfy that want, thirst, hunger.” When the Truth says, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life” (John 4:13-14), all the advertising spin in the world isn’t going to make the other stuff look better.
But let’s take this thing just a step further. Sometimes, I know I need to drink more water, but I really want other sugary substitutes. I have to make myself go for the healthy choice. It works like this – once I start drinking the water, I can’t seem to get enough of it! I thirst for more.
I was born in Hot Springs, Arkansas. (Did you know it is the smallest national park?) It was known for the warm therapeutic waters and “Bath House Row”. And, still, there are several places in town where there are no signs, no advertising. Just a small stone facing surrounding a tap from which pure, spring water continually flows. Cars line up filled with empty, plastic jugs waiting to be filled.
Isn’t it reassuring knowing that the well won’t run dry and we will never have to be thirsty?
John 7:38
Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.
Showing posts with label Water. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Water. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Monday, August 30, 2010
Bathed
I have mentioned before that cardinals are special to me. For me they are a true icon. Wait, before you go shaking your head and “tsk”ing at me, look it up. An icon can be something that represents God or Christ – an image, picture or representation of some sort. But it is also anything that draws our minds toward God.
And I’m sure my thing about cardinals comes as no surprise to God. In fact He has often drawn me to Him through these beautiful birds. We have a pair that live somewhere just out our back door. They are constant companions to each other and friends to us. I raised my kitchen blinds one day and there was the male, tucked in the corner, looking at me and saying, “This is the day the Lord has made; I will rejoice and be glad in it.” (Psalm 118:24)
I know their calls now and I look for them, as I seek Him as well. The funny thing is that, though the male is the really colorful and more beautiful of the pair (don’t get me started…), I have found myself drawn more and more to the female. She seems braver and more willing to visit with me. Of course, she also knows that the male is keeping a watchful eye on her.
Imagine my delight when I was sitting down to supper with Steve and I looked out and saw her on the crepe myrtle just outside the window. The sprinklers were spraying and she was in their direct path. And there she sat! Unmoving but quivering and shaking her feathers. She would relax until the next spray doused her. She was enjoying her bath but the flood was too much for her to take. She flew over to the gardenia and sat for a minute and then plunged back into the water.
Yeah, I know this one is too obvious. But that flood of cleansing water! And it’s so clean and so pure and so holy! And sometimes it’s just too much! Surely you’ve felt it. When you’ve been humble about something, and God Himself has lifted you up – you want to run and hide! It’s too much. When the pure joy of your salvation is overwhelming. It’s just too much and we’re torn between feeling inadequate and wanting to hide, and wanting to jump in and drown in it.
Acts 22:16; Psalm 51:7b; Isaiah 1:18
And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name… Wash me and I will be whiter than snow… “Come now, let us reason together,” says the LORD. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool….”
And I’m sure my thing about cardinals comes as no surprise to God. In fact He has often drawn me to Him through these beautiful birds. We have a pair that live somewhere just out our back door. They are constant companions to each other and friends to us. I raised my kitchen blinds one day and there was the male, tucked in the corner, looking at me and saying, “This is the day the Lord has made; I will rejoice and be glad in it.” (Psalm 118:24)
I know their calls now and I look for them, as I seek Him as well. The funny thing is that, though the male is the really colorful and more beautiful of the pair (don’t get me started…), I have found myself drawn more and more to the female. She seems braver and more willing to visit with me. Of course, she also knows that the male is keeping a watchful eye on her.
Imagine my delight when I was sitting down to supper with Steve and I looked out and saw her on the crepe myrtle just outside the window. The sprinklers were spraying and she was in their direct path. And there she sat! Unmoving but quivering and shaking her feathers. She would relax until the next spray doused her. She was enjoying her bath but the flood was too much for her to take. She flew over to the gardenia and sat for a minute and then plunged back into the water.
Yeah, I know this one is too obvious. But that flood of cleansing water! And it’s so clean and so pure and so holy! And sometimes it’s just too much! Surely you’ve felt it. When you’ve been humble about something, and God Himself has lifted you up – you want to run and hide! It’s too much. When the pure joy of your salvation is overwhelming. It’s just too much and we’re torn between feeling inadequate and wanting to hide, and wanting to jump in and drown in it.
Acts 22:16; Psalm 51:7b; Isaiah 1:18
And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name… Wash me and I will be whiter than snow… “Come now, let us reason together,” says the LORD. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool….”
Monday, July 5, 2010
Cool, Clear Water
Summer heat brings it on, that always thirsty feeling. I’m trying to monitor what I spend those hot summer afternoons guzzling. The morning is pretty well set – two really huge cups of coffee with cream and sometimes sugary flavoring syrups. And we’re not messing with that, okay?
But after lunch is when the real thirst starts. I got an interesting email about Coke™ vs water. You may have seen it and the facts are startling:
75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated.
Even mild dehydration will slow down one’s metabolism as much as 3%.
Lack of water is the #1 trigger of daytime fatigue.
Preliminary research indicates that 8-10 glasses of water a day could significantly ease back and joint pain for up to 80% of sufferers.
A mere 2% drop in body water can trigger fuzzy short-term memory, trouble with basic math, and difficulty focusing on the computer screen or on a printed page.
Drinking 5 glasses of water daily decreases the risk of colon cancer by 45%, plus it can slash the risk of breast cancer by 79%., and one is 50% less likely to develop bladder cancer.
There were also a number of pretty gross facts about Coke™, but I checked them out on Snopes and, thankfully, they were exaggerated. I’m glad because sometimes nothing but a cold Coke will do the trick, am I right? While I did not research each of the water facts, I did enough reading to know that they make sense.
When we’re thirsty, really thirsty, only water gets into our bodies and does its good work. I don’t think any of us will argue that fact. But what about drinking all the water we need to keep operating at an optimum level?
I’m sitting on the porch and I’m thinking, how will I do this? I could buy some Perrier™ or some flavored seltzer. But the bubbles are a whole other thing and not so good for me. I could buy some of those little flavor packets to put into my bottle of water.
Why not just drink the straight stuff, the pure, clean water? Isn’t this how we approach church and Bible study? “I wasn’t crazy about that message – why can the preacher not shake in a packet of ‘feel good’ and ‘abundant living’. I don’t want to just read the Bible – it’s boring. Why not add some sugar Bible study to liven it up?”
Not that there’s anything wrong with that! I love “feel good” and “abundant living” and a good Bible study energizes me and gets me moving in the right direction. But the water – the living water, the Good News – is just fine on its own. It gives me all the energy and peace I need when I remember to get my full amount every day.
Jeremiah 2:13; John 4:13, 14
My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water…Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
Monday, October 5, 2009
Jesus, Bring the Rain
Mercy Me sings the lyrics; that wonderful song reflects the beauty of living a life that has Jesus at its center, regardless of the circumstances. It also echoes conventional wisdom that rain can represent the dark times in life, e.g. save for a rainy day.
Let me just say it up front and we’ll get it out of the way. My brain is wired a little differently. I prefer eccentric; some would say weird. Bring out the cool, gray day with a steady rain and I am gleeful, bundled up and rocking on the back porch. Add in some wind or lightening for effect and I’ll positively dance – especially if the lightening gets too close.
That’s where I am this morning. The rain is falling at a steady pace, quickening just enough to give the sound some interest, sort of like waves at the ocean. The day has a cool edge so that I’m wearing snuggly, comfortable clothes and still considering putting on another layer. The wind is blowing enough to add to the sound, but not enough to drive me inside for a coat.
God is blessing me this morning. He knows how I love this. Don’t get me wrong; this is not arrogance. I’m not foolish enough to think He’s doing it just for me, but I know that He is aware that I do love it so.
Rain is important to us in South Carolina because we have been, off and on during the last couple of years, in a drought situation. Not only do our plants need it, but the lake as well. The water level has been rising and falling dramatically and this rain will help.
And as I rocked and listened, Steve walked out and said, “This is good. The plants need it and you do too, right?” And I realized that, just as this rain is providing nourishment for every living green thing, it feeds me as well. It blesses me and makes me content and thankful. God speaks to me so many times through nature and weather; this day draws me closer to Him. Jesus, bring the rain!
Psalm 147:7, 8, 11
Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving; make music to our God on the harp. He covers the sky with clouds; he supplies the earth with rain and makes grass grow on the hills…the LORD delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love.
Let me just say it up front and we’ll get it out of the way. My brain is wired a little differently. I prefer eccentric; some would say weird. Bring out the cool, gray day with a steady rain and I am gleeful, bundled up and rocking on the back porch. Add in some wind or lightening for effect and I’ll positively dance – especially if the lightening gets too close.
That’s where I am this morning. The rain is falling at a steady pace, quickening just enough to give the sound some interest, sort of like waves at the ocean. The day has a cool edge so that I’m wearing snuggly, comfortable clothes and still considering putting on another layer. The wind is blowing enough to add to the sound, but not enough to drive me inside for a coat.
God is blessing me this morning. He knows how I love this. Don’t get me wrong; this is not arrogance. I’m not foolish enough to think He’s doing it just for me, but I know that He is aware that I do love it so.
Rain is important to us in South Carolina because we have been, off and on during the last couple of years, in a drought situation. Not only do our plants need it, but the lake as well. The water level has been rising and falling dramatically and this rain will help.
And as I rocked and listened, Steve walked out and said, “This is good. The plants need it and you do too, right?” And I realized that, just as this rain is providing nourishment for every living green thing, it feeds me as well. It blesses me and makes me content and thankful. God speaks to me so many times through nature and weather; this day draws me closer to Him. Jesus, bring the rain!
Psalm 147:7, 8, 11
Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving; make music to our God on the harp. He covers the sky with clouds; he supplies the earth with rain and makes grass grow on the hills…the LORD delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Well-watered
For some of us, the sound satisfies. The undulating roar of the waves as they break and finish their foamy roll. The gurgle of a brook on a mountain hiking path. Even the man-made ripple of a fountain in the yard.
We visited Estes Park, Colorado. The overwhelming grandeur of the Rockies, the magnificence and humor of elk roaming the streets and hanging out on porches, the blinding sun off the snow-capped peaks all took our breath away. But the impression that stays with me most was the smallest and least imposing detail of our visit. A tiny brook bubbled its way from the mountains and the park, down through the streets of the little town and on into the canyons that lead away from that village-bowl that is set in the mountains. I sat on a bench next to the murmuring brook and just listened, lost in the wonder that God would use such a tiny feature to speak to me.
The sight draws some of us to return to a place again and again. Broad ocean vistas where the horizon melts away and the sky and sea blend into one. A mountain lake with an exact duplicate reflection on glass-smooth water, a blinding slab of silver when the sun hits it just so. Waterfalls so far away that they look like fluttering white ribbons as they crash onto the rocks and rivers below. The water always pulls us back.
I spent long summer hours in front of my grandmother’s old black and white television set watching classic movies, a great many of them westerns. While I lived for the cattle stampedes – exciting stuff – the picture that stays with me still is of the cowboy lost in the desert, on his knees clawing in the sand, frantic for water.
A healthy intake of water daily consists of 64 ounces. We are made up of anywhere between 55 and 75 percent water. We need it for properly lubricated internal organs and joints, beautiful skin, healthy eyes, efficient metabolism, movement of oxygen to cells, and regulation of body temperature. Plus when we’re really, really thirsty, it’s just what satisfies best.
A search in Scripture for the word “water” yields 436 results in the NIV. God gave us a desire for it because it is so necessary for life, both current physical and eternal. Jesus said, “but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” (John 4:14) Once we accept this life-saving and continually life-giving gift, we are no longer crawling in the desert. It continues to bubble up into our daily lives, available for us to drink of the love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control that it offers. (Galatians 5:22, 23a)
Come and listen to the inviting sound of a bubbling spring. And drink freely!
Ps 63:1; John 7:38
O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.”
We visited Estes Park, Colorado. The overwhelming grandeur of the Rockies, the magnificence and humor of elk roaming the streets and hanging out on porches, the blinding sun off the snow-capped peaks all took our breath away. But the impression that stays with me most was the smallest and least imposing detail of our visit. A tiny brook bubbled its way from the mountains and the park, down through the streets of the little town and on into the canyons that lead away from that village-bowl that is set in the mountains. I sat on a bench next to the murmuring brook and just listened, lost in the wonder that God would use such a tiny feature to speak to me.
The sight draws some of us to return to a place again and again. Broad ocean vistas where the horizon melts away and the sky and sea blend into one. A mountain lake with an exact duplicate reflection on glass-smooth water, a blinding slab of silver when the sun hits it just so. Waterfalls so far away that they look like fluttering white ribbons as they crash onto the rocks and rivers below. The water always pulls us back.
I spent long summer hours in front of my grandmother’s old black and white television set watching classic movies, a great many of them westerns. While I lived for the cattle stampedes – exciting stuff – the picture that stays with me still is of the cowboy lost in the desert, on his knees clawing in the sand, frantic for water.
A healthy intake of water daily consists of 64 ounces. We are made up of anywhere between 55 and 75 percent water. We need it for properly lubricated internal organs and joints, beautiful skin, healthy eyes, efficient metabolism, movement of oxygen to cells, and regulation of body temperature. Plus when we’re really, really thirsty, it’s just what satisfies best.
A search in Scripture for the word “water” yields 436 results in the NIV. God gave us a desire for it because it is so necessary for life, both current physical and eternal. Jesus said, “but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” (John 4:14) Once we accept this life-saving and continually life-giving gift, we are no longer crawling in the desert. It continues to bubble up into our daily lives, available for us to drink of the love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control that it offers. (Galatians 5:22, 23a)
Come and listen to the inviting sound of a bubbling spring. And drink freely!
Ps 63:1; John 7:38
O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.”
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