My Never Satisfied Thirst

Summer is finally here! As I spend more time in the sun, I also find myself thirsty. I walk into the kitchen, open the refrigerator and search for something cold to drink.... juice, lemonade, soda. Anything will do--as long as it is cold!

When I drive home from work, I have also been know to pull over at the closest gas station and pay a ridiculous amount of money for a bottle of fancy, super-purified water.

Regardless how thirsty I seem and how much I try to quench that thirst, the thirst always comes back. Always!

Reflecting on this, I began to draw a "spiritual" connection between my never satisfied thirst and my relationship with Jesus. 

Have I been substituting artificial, sugar-filled, tart drinks for the only true and pure "Water Source?"

Jesus says in John 4:13, 14 "Everyone who drinks of this water [the water at the well] will thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life."

WOW! That sounds so much better than my sugary soft-drink or over priced gas station water! Jesus is promising a life forever with Him! He is promising that our deepest desires, those things we thirst and hunger for in this world, will be met by Him (and ONLY Him!). He promises us a life spent in relationship with Him, a sweetness that is sweeter than any sugary-drink or drink substitution. 

Jesus desires to life fully with and in each of us! He has created us to rely on Him.

So, what I have been relying on in my life to fill this space, hole or desire in my life? In the past, it has been relationships, shopping, gossip, a busy schedule, organizing, and cleaning. But what happens when relationships fail? New clothes get torn? People are hurt by my harsh words of gossip?  My schedule is empty? The things I just organized and cleaned get unorganized and dirt?

My reaction varied from depression, anger, and pride. I would just keep trying harder to maintain, do more, say more. Until......I found Jesus! Jesus takes away this desire to strive for earthly satisfaction and "doing more" to relying solely on Him. There is no substitution in the word that can replace what God has given me. 

What God has given me is an eternal, living water! Have you received this "Living Water?" Have you tried desperately to fill an empty hole in your own life by gossip, people pleasing, or maybe something else? God desires to your living water! He desires to be the one who fills every longing that you have. It comes through a relationship with Him! This does not mean your life will be perfect, or that you will never long for anything again. It does mean that God wants to partner with you in your life and  help you find the true value in Him.

Dear Lord-

Please forgive me for trying to find satisfaction in the wrong places. Please forgive me for those I have hurt while doing so. I thank you for giving me a living water (YOU!) so that I will never thirst again. May I continue to rely on you more and more each day instead of myself.

~Amen~