‘Jesus answered and said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.” ‘ John 4:13-14
As I write this, I’m in the truck returning home from another archery elk hunt high atop the Rockie Mountains of Colorado. Overall, it was an enjoyable trip, but not without challenge.
This was a new and unfamiliar area and so there is always some uncertainty and figuring out required. We hiked in a way we thought would be a good course. It was not. We ended up having to camp a night well short of our desired spot. The next morning we continued on, bushwhacking our way into our area. We were running short on water, so began to seek it out. The streams shown on our GPS were dry. We could not continue on without knowing where water might be found. We made camp, hunted that evening, then planned to head back to the truck, for more water, the next morning. That night it rained and provided some puddles in the nearby stream beds. We made our way back to the truck, resupplied and were able to continue our hunt with the puddles the good Lord had provided.
I don’t know if you have experienced thirst before, but it is a bad spot to be in. I’m not talking about climbing a flight of stairs and thinking, “boy, I’m thirsty”. I’m talking about the kind of thirst that is produced from hours of physical exertion, and the concern that comes with not being able to locate the water necessary to continue. This is the second time in which I’ve found myself in such a situation while hunting in the mountains.
A situation like this can quickly turn dire. The thought of water procurement becomes the center of your focus. Why shouldn’t it. Without it, you’ll become debilitated in perhaps a day, depending on your needed activity level. Within a few days your life is in severe jeopardy. Aside from some discomfort and inconvenience, this situation turned out fine. It got me thinking, though.
Do I thirst for Jesus in such a way? The level of concern and devotion I demonstrated a week ago was obvious and justified. However, that was to protect and preserve my temporal life. As Jesus clearly expresses to the woman at the well, that water is temporal. In body, I will thirst again. Do I seek Jesus as fervently as I sought water on the side of the mountain? The answer is no, not with the same focus and dedication to purpose. We all thirst, spiritually. Even after receiving God’s gift of merciful salvation. We all become spiritually dehydrated and need to go to the only source of the necessary life giving Water. Stay hydrated my friends and have a blessed weekend.
In full pursuit of the greatest trophy
