A Week Without Water

I’ve had the prettiest plants on my back porch all summer long – two beautiful white New Guineas. The foliage is crisp and green and the white flowers are prolific and gorgeous. They looked especially pretty sitting in a metal type basket that I spray painted green. From the very beginning, they seemed to require lots of water. I potted them in clay pots, which apparently are very porous.

Recently we were out of town for a week. Being the end of July, the weather was naturally very hot and very dry. Although I had made arrangements for my plants to be watered while I was gone, circumstances arose and that never happened. By the time we arrived back home, my plants had gone an entire week without water.

The stems of the plants, which previously stood straight up, were literally laying down flat, hanging over the sides of the pot. About half of the leaves had dried up, the other half were still crisp and green. We rushed to give them water, hoping to revive them. Only time would tell.

Much to my surprise, the next day, the stems had actually come back up. A little thinner than they were before, but definitely still alive. As I surveyed the health of the plants, I immediately made a connection with the shriveled up leaves. So this is what happens when something goes a week without water. Hmmm….these leaves reminded me of how I feel whenever I go a week without reading my Bible, the source of the Living Water.

Jesus tells us in John 4:13 that, “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.”

Life sometimes finds us in a hurry, flurry or rush. We’ve got our schedules, our commitments, and our never-ending to-do lists. What’s usually the first thing to go when we find ourselves long on tasks but short on time? Our quiet time. The time we spend being fed and refreshed by the Living Water. The very thing we need the most; essential ingredients that supply our souls with living giving nutrition. Yet, we continually think we can get by without it.

The sad thing is that most of us end up like the dried up leaves on my plant after going a week without this Living Water. Our energy becomes zapped, we’re wilted and limp. So starved for nutrition ourselves, we’re unable to give anything to anyone else.

What does it take for us to remain spiritually healthy, crisp and green? If not a daily dose, we at least need to be watered three or four times a week with the Living Water in order to remain alive and strong. Our energy increases. Our motivation for service to others becomes greater. With a deeper sense of hope, purpose and conviction, we’re better able to live out the life God planned for us.

My friends, try not to let yourself go a week without being watered. Do yourself a favor and give yourself permission to be watered and fed by the Living Water. You’ll feel refreshed, renewed and ready for the challenges every-day live brings. You’ll be like the leaves on my plants, but not the ones that were dried up and shriveled. You’ll be like the ones that remained bright, crisp and green.