Bosque, New Mexico
John 4: 13
Jesus answered and said to her,
“Everyone who drinks of this water will
be thirsty again; 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him
shall never be thirsty; but the water that I will give him will become in him
a fountain of water springing up to eternal life.”15 The woman *said to
Him,
“Sir, give me this water so that I will not be thirsty, nor come all the
way here to draw water.
— NASB
Throughout the desert, water is noteworthy. Those who choose to live
there are always seeking ways to gather, preserve and manage the use of
water. There are a few rivers. Some actually flow and others have big
names, like the Rio Grande, but are actually small rivulets surrounded by
rocks and cottonwood trees. Denoting where water consistently pools is
important, because you might need to know that someday.
I was fascinated by the presence of washes or gullies throughout the
desert. There were even road signs denoting them by name. Since I came
from the east with an abundance of water, I had little knowledge of what
those wide paths were through the desert landscape. What I did know, I
learned from an episode of the Saturday morning 50’s show named Sky
King. In the episode, Uncle Sky’s niece, Penny, and a friend were leading
their horses through what they thought was a well-worn trail, when with
no warning they heard a wall of water coming toward them which put
them in real danger. Of course, Uncle Sky saved them with his twin engine
Cessna, but my take away was that water in the desert is a resource of
extremes.
I have a friend who grew up in Arizona and spent time in Germany when
her husband was in the military. She said when they went sightseeing
with others through the European countryside, her friends found it
humorous that her delight was in the rivers and lakes rather than the
castles and mountains. As a desert dweller, she understood the paradox
of water. In the desert there is either too little or too much and both of
those are dangerous. No one can survive without water, but too much
water is equally perilous. I have been in the desert when the sky opened
up and the dry earth could nott absorb it in real time. It is terrifying.
Much of our lives are like that. The very things that are needed to survive,
like water, may change without warning and overwhelm us. The qualities
we believe to be our strengths can quickly become our downfall. A person
who wants to be fit and healthy can become obsessed with exercise and
controlling food consumption. A person who wants to successfully use
their gifts for a career can become sucked into the belief that they are
nothing without that success. A person who wants to provide their
children with love and support can become so overprotective that they
deprive their children of the space and independence to grow into wellbalanced young adults.
So many of the endeavors that start off as noble can turn on a dime. Being
healthy, finding meaningful work, and providing love for others are all
valuable quests. However, when those wholesome goals break from their
moorings or anchors, they can easily lose their stability and even damage
themselves or others. In addition to Faith, Hope and Love, Jesus taught
Balance and Truth.
The “woman at the well” thought Jesus was offering her a solution to her
desert water dilemma. She believed the living water He told her about
would allow her to not have to face the women at the well, and she would
have just enough. Jesus knew that the amount of water was not as
important as her ability to survive the extremes of her life. What she truly
needed was for someone to know her truth and love her anyway. Jesus
did that for her. To tether ourselves to a Savior who understands the
extremes of life and stands with us whether our life is parched or the
water is rising is to understand the meaning of the cross.
Prayer:
We trust you, Oh God, to be with us when our life feels like we are
camping in the desert, and we do not know if the water hole has dried up,
or the clouds are gathering on the mountains. Help us to prepare for both
with your tender mercies. Amen