We were getting ready for bed. It was already a bit later than our normal bedtime and both of us needed to get up very early the next morning. Going into the bathroom faucet, I couldn’t wait to run the water, brush my teeth and wash my face. The next step was bed, where I would allow my head to hit the pillow: I could barely wait. As I turned the tap, instead of the normal rush of cool, refreshing water, I encountered sputtering and spitting. No water. None. I grabbed my husband, and we went down stairs and stared at the water tank.
It might be helpful to know we live in the country, so our water comes directly from a deep well, via a pump. The benefits are, we have no monthly water bill, and we can use as much as we want, whenever we want. Water bans have no impact on our gardens. The challenge can be, if the water is not running, then there is no “city office” to call for a fix. We call the well man, who comes out, fixes the problem and hands us a nice, fat bill for his service.
Back to the story…we stood staring at the well tank. Then we looked at each other, back at the tank, and both stated something like, “dang.” After we realized that staring at each other, or the tank, while entertaining, was not helpful to the situation. Gary went out to the shed to gather supplies, and I headed to the gas station to buy out their supply on water, after all, we all had to shower the next day. When I returned, Gary was at work on the tank. We were both hoping it simply needed more air pressure, but knew it was something more challenging.
Stress has already been knocking on our door of our present lives. So, neither of us needed, or desired an addition of any more. I didn’t sleep well, and ended up getting up even earlier than needed. So, after having gone to bed after midnight, tossing and turning for a few hours, about 3:45 am my feet landed on the floor, and I padded out to the front room. When I came to the living room, the words that came to mind where, “The house feels dead, without life.”
It felt as if the fact we didn’t have water, somehow equated to not having life within the walls of the house. We can not cook, care for ourselves, get rid of our waste, clean the house, and many more things. Water is vital to our life. Life can not continue without water. It is amazing how often, when you do not have water, you still walk to the faucet, turn the knob and expect something to come out. Water gives us life in ways that we do not even realize.
I recently studied a story in the Gospel of John, in the (Christian) scriptures. The story was of a man asked a woman for water. He continued saying while she understood water coming from a well, he had the ability to offer “living water.” He wasn’t only saying that living water was good, but that he was it! He was (and is) the living water, of which she could drink and never thirst against. It isn’t physical water to which he referred, he spoke of a water that quenched the thirst of her soul. If you are unfamiliar with the story, this man was Christ, the Son of God, who had come to earth in human form to restore his creation to himself.
Thinking about this story, and experiencing the lack of physical water invited me to look at Christ’s words differently. 1) I wonder if at times I forget what it means to have the living water flow through my life: just as I can take for granted the water coming out of the faucet. 2) I realize it is always there, and that I have access to it. 3) I think about what it might be like to not have it in my life. 4) I ponder the number of folks who do not realize that there is living water to which they too, can have access, so that their soul would no longer thirst. My house may feel dead without the water flowing, however I know that for me, this is a temporary problem. However, to have a dry, thirsty soul, that lacks living water is tragic, especially when the flow is available.
We called the well man, who came out, and fixed our problem. We now have fresh, cold, water running through the veins of the house, spilling out at whatever tap we chose to use. And, the big, fat bill wasn’t as big and fat, as we had feared. So, all is “well.” However, in the meanwhile, this process has gotten me to remember to be intentional about watching the living water move within me, and enjoying the mystery of how it works.
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