is for quenched.
One afternoon last week, I got to enjoy the sweet company of my friend Miss AG while laying poolside. Armed with two books, sunscreen, and a beach towel, I led the way across the apartment complex to an oasis of relaxation. Stretched out on pool chairs with the sun's rays warming us, it felt great to relax and read. Shortly after arriving, however, I realized that I had made a very amateur mistake. The one thing that I'd left behind and needed direly at that moment was some refreshing water. I glanced around to no avail. No water fountain. An extra walk back to the apartment to retrieve my water bottle was a lesson learned.
This experience reminds me of feelings I have periodically and in certain seasons of life. When things get hurried and busy, when the pressures and responsibilities of work or classes weight heavily upon my shoulders, when worries grasp at my heart, I begin to feel a thirst that must be quenched. I desire calm, peace, and stillness for my soul. As humans, can't we honestly say that when this happens we often look around for a quick fix? I look to my family or my dearest friends to share the burden and to help me gain perspective. I might even take a break to fit in a fun activity or head to the gym for a run. I don't know about you, but it can be really effective or so it seems. And then another day arrives and you feel that you've arrived full circle. Perhaps the same feelings overwhelm you again and you feel helpless to overcome a mountain whose peaks seem insurmountable.
This reminds me of the story in John 4 of the woman at the well. In case you are unfamiliar, this chapter tells of a woman's life changing encounter with Jesus. A Samaritan woman went to the well midday to draw water. While there, Jesus requested that she share a drink of water with Him. The woman was surprised that this man would ask for this as she was Samaritan and he was Jewish. She did not expect him to interact with her in such a manner as Jewish people considered the Samaritans unclean. I'm sure this woman felt especially undeserving as she truly did carry some weight on her heart. The verses tell us that she'd had five husbands. Obviously this woman had made some mistakes in life and was burdened. I love this story even right at this point because Jesus is totally loving on a sinner like you and me. According to the culture and common sense, Jesus shouldn't reach out to a woman like this. The truth is, Jesus sees us and knows us to our greatest depths and still He loves us, His children. Not just loves us, He treasures and adores us! Just like you and me, He finds us as we are and He desires to quench this deep thirst in our souls. Using the metaphor of a spring of living water, Jesus shares the good news of His gift of eternal salvation. He 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]
Life can be busy, trying, and a struggle at various times. As I continually am challenged to do, stop going to the well to draw up your own solutions for they only satisfy for a short time. Instead, allow God's peace and love to freely flow and quench every bit of the thirst within you. I promise you this: He alone can satisfy.
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