Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
John 4:14
It happened ten years ago when I was confined to a hospital bed for several weeks. As a result, during that time, I was unable take a shower or sit in a tub of warm water. Even though the nurses did provide bed baths, it just wasn’t the same. But one afternoon, after flying from her home across the country, my sister walked in. As soon as she saw me languishing in bed, she knew exactly what I needed. For after a quick hug, she grabbed a plastic hospital basin, filled it with warm water and sat it beside me on the bed. Then, she lifted my hands and arms and immersed them in that warm, sudsy water. I will never forget the feeling that came over me. That time, I really did feel like I’d died and gone to heaven.
That memory has come to mind many times, especially while enjoying the comfort of a warm shower or bath. So it wasn’t surprising when it surfaced again that morning when my hair was being washed. What did surprise me was that I felt compelled to share it. As I did so, unknown to me, another hairdresser was also listening. And when I finished, she nodded in agreement by saying: “We can live without food, but we cannot survive without water.” She was right, and before the words were fully out of her mouth, I couldn't help but think of Jesus and how He likened Himself to water, and suddenly in a fresh new way I understood why He did so. For just as we can't live without water, neither can we really live without Him, and words just tumbled out of my mouth as I said: “It’s no wonder Jesus referred to Himself as living water.”
What better way could Jesus have described Himself to the world?
Love and blessings,
Judy Rose Grubaugh