Men and women lined up with five-gallon buckets, while children came carrying empty juice bottles. They brought anything that would hold water. Standing next to the water truck in a rural Honduran village, I was overwhelmed at the poverty and great need around me. We filled bucket after bucket with clean water. Attempting to alleviate an enormous burden in the smallest way, we carried the 40-pound buckets down dirt roads and into their homes. The water sloshed around in the buckets, hitting the dirt beneath us. Deep in my soul I was reminded that this precious resource is fleeting. Soon they will be thirsty and needing clean water again.
The extreme physical needs of this village were overwhelming. Sadly, our team could only meet a few of them in the form of water and shoes, but as believers in Christ, we had something far greater to offer – the hope we have in Christ.
In John 4, Jesus meets a Samaritan woman at the well. She may have been there to quench her physical thirst for water, but Jesus cut straight to her heart, contrasting the water available at the well with the “living water” He offered. Jesus knew her thirst was much deeper than a physical need – it was a spiritual need.
Possibly overwhelmed by her need for love and acceptance or feelings of unworthiness, the Samaritan woman had turned to the arms of men. For us, might we be overcome by the desire to acquire success, wealth and material things? Maybe we long for the love and approval of others? Nothing of this world will quench our earthly desires. Any attempt we make will be in vain. We’ll be left dry and empty, searching for one more thing we believe will finally fill us.
Like the Samaritan woman, our souls are parched apart from Christ. This “thirst” within each of us is not a bad thing. It was created by God and only God can satisfy it.
Jesus tells the woman what you and I already know – drinking that water will leave her thirsty again. Luckily, He offers something much better – living water. Whoever drinks of this water will never thirst again.
To drink this living water means coming to Jesus with a faithful and repentant heart. No heavy lifting is required. No rules and empty rituals, no heavy buckets – just faith and repentance. His yolk is easy and His burden is light.
Savoring the Living Water,
Traci
Photo Credit: Sarah Thomas