Here I am, sitting at my desk with a two-litre bottle of sparking lemon lime water that will last me all day. I decided I needed to bring a large bottle like this with me to work in order to motivate myself to drink more water. It gives me a goal to aim for: two whole litres.
Medical authorities tell us that a great many people are dehydrated and don’t even know it, because at first there are very few symptoms of chronic marginal dehydration, but severe medical conditions can occur: arthritis pain can be caused by a lack of fluid between the joints; back pain may be due to lack of water between the discs of the spinal column; angina can mean the heart muscle is not receiving enough hydration; dehydration can also cause headaches, from mild to severe; and less than adequate water can result in lackluster, sagging skin. Inadequate hydration has also been linked to asthma and can cause a weakened immune system. And then there are issues like eczema, weight gain, colitis, exhaustion, and weight gain — all linked in some way to various levels of dehydration.
All this to say, we sometimes experience symptoms of dehydration but are not aware that they are linked to inadequate water intake and may be lessened or even cured if we simply drank more water. Instead, we indiscriminately medicate the problems with painkillers and other drugs.
Jesus himself spoke about the need to drink water. In particular, he informed the Samaritan woman of the need to drink the water that he was providing — living water: ”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).
So I began to wonder if I was low on this spiritual water, too: if I was getting my recommended 8-cups daily of Jesus Juice. Because I don’t think it is enough to come drink of this living water once and then never touch it again. It is not enough to merely imbibe enough to avoid dying of severe dehydration all together — most people know enough to know when they are about to actually die of thirst. I don’t think this is what Jesus had in mind. Surely he wants us to be well-hydrated enough with himself to continue on in this life (i.e. to be saved), but what spiritual ailments may afflict us if we just stop there? Constipation, arthritis, exhaustion turn into a desiccation of our joy, a lack of spiritual passion, and an inability to grow in the Lord.
Jesus wants us to come drink at the well regularly. Yes, he says we will never thirst again when we taste the living water he has to offer insofar as we come to know what a truly thirst-quenching Saviour he is, but other portions of Scripture command us to continually hunger and thirst after him. Jesus himself commands this perpetual state of yearning when he says: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled” (Matthew 5:6). And the Psalmists declares in his time of trouble: ”As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God” (Psalm 42:1).
So the question is: Are you drinking enough water? Are you being intentional about quaffing deeply at the well of living water even when you don’t feel thirsty? Are you committed to slaking your thirst with the Word and in prayer, rather than medicating your spiritual dehydration with all other manner of worldly pursuits and “painkillers?” Are you self-aware enough to know when you need living water instead of more TV or another self-help book?
Tags: Bible, drink, Gospel of John, Jesus, living water, Psalms, thirst
