Water Hog!
My kid has a lot of things I never had as a kid. One of those things is his own water bottle. He takes that thing everywhere with him, yet never drinks from it. Since when did kids need their own water bottle? I never had a water bottle as a kid. I can still hear the shaming chant behind me as I slurped down warm city water from the school drinking fountain, staring down at the chewed gum and sand.
“One… Two... Three... WATER HOG!”
If you know, you know. Were we all just super dehydrated all the time as kids?!
It’s one thing to be physically dehydrated. It is something different to be spiritually dehydrated. We need to remember to PAUSE and drink water throughout the day. We also need to PAUSE and have a sip of living water.
I invite you to PAUSE for a moment. If you are physically thirsty, take a sip of water. If you are spiritually thirsty, keep reading.
As we begin, I invite you to take a few deep breaths in and out. As you quiet your body and mind, pray,
Holy Spirit, as I begin this PAUSE, quiet my heart, body, soul, and mind, and restore my spirit with life-giving water.
The ancient king of Israel, King David, prayed these words in the desert of Judah.
You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water. (Psalm 63:1)
PAUSE.
Is there anything in your life you are thirsting for? Share what comes to your mind with God. Be honest.
PAUSE.
Most of us reading this are likely not wandering through the desert, yet we can still relate to this prayer. Talk to God about any part of your life where you feel you are in a dry and parched land, where there is no water.
PAUSE.
Hear this invitation from Jesus.
“If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” (John 7:37-38).
How do you receive these words from Jesus? What may it look for you to receive this water from Jesus? What other wells may he be asking you to leave behind?
PAUSE.
The world is a dry and parched land. But Jesus invites us to come to him and drink. He is not a mirage. He is alive. He is a stream that brings life to our dry and parched souls. May we all drink deeply today.
