Thirsty

Have you ever been thirsty? I mean the kind of thirst that you remember like it was yesterday? We’ve all been thirsty, but do you remember that parched, thick tongued aching thirst that simply can’t be ignored? On a long hike turned bad (poor planning on my part) many years ago, I experienced the worst thirst of my life and will never forget it.Have you ever been thirsty? I mean the kind of thirst that you remember like it was yesterday? We’ve all been thirsty, but do you remember that parched, thick tongued aching thirst that simply can’t be ignored? On a long hike turned bad (poor planning on my part) many years ago, I experienced the worst thirst of my life and will never forget it.

Maybe you’re thirsty right now. Just the mere mention of water has you looking for the nearest drinking fountain or you’ve already abandoned your computer to go to the kitchen and retrieve a glass of ice cold water. That is not the kind of thirst I’m talking about. But, if you need to go and get some water now, please do. That’s fine, I’ll wait.

Welcome back. Tastes good, doesn’t it? Refreshing and welcomed, there is nothing like a good glass of water. Water happens to be my most frequent drink of choice. Trying to avoid the certain gains that come with sugar laden beverages, I drink water most of the time. It isn’t really something I even think much about anymore. A tall, clear glass of water can’t be beat for refreshment and life. I heard recently that to be healthy, the average person should consume 2 ½ quarts of water per day. I’ve got that down, easily!

Nothing is much worse than being really thirsty and getting only a little water. You need a 44-ouncer… and you only get a Dixie cup. Oh, it might give you the minimum you need to survive, but being satisfied is nowhere to be found. It might even be torture to be truly thirsty and only get enough to tease the need.

Jesus once told a woman, “whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life” (John 4:14). Hearing what Jesus said, the woman replied, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty.” After that, they never spoke again about water. In fact, she left the water jar she was carrying and ran to tell everyone in her town that she had found the Christ (4:29).

On that hike, a friend and I found a little spring at a rocky outcropping. It was very shallow and I only hoped it was pure enough to not make me sick, but I had to have water. I cleared a little pool, let some of the sediment and sticks settle and then just stuck my face in the ground and started sucking up water as fast as I could. Spitting out the sticks and maybe a bug or two, I didn’t get enough water, but I did get some.

A lot of us are spiritually thirsty enough that we are looking for water. Sometimes we’re content with only sticking our face in the ground and spitting out the sticks. But it’s not enough. Jesus invites us to drink from a well that rises up from within us. It is a “Spirit” thing… and can easily be ignored, while we thirst nonetheless. Religion (or simply going through the motions of faith) won’t get you there. Like trying to satisfy real thirst with a little cup, religion might tease your spirit, but you will never be fully satisfied. Only true relationship with Jesus will ever satisfy the deep thirst within.

Are you thirsty? Ask Jesus for some real water…

Last Meow

Over 15 years ago I received that phone call from my wife. Not the that phone call... she'd already given me that news 5 months earlier! Pregnant with our second child, my wife found twin Manx/Himalayan kittens that "had to have a home." Somehow, between the strategic planning of mother (grandmother) and adult daughter, our family wound up with a second cat (we'd already had "Bunkley" for over six years)!

Our first daughter had already named them both before I could even get home that day. Ours would be named "Tiger" and Nanny's cat would be named "Buddy." When I did arrive home, I had to admit the little guys were cute and being bred with nothing more than a mere "nub" for a tail made them rather unique. Though I never fully adored Tiger, I didn't mind him too much either.

Later, dogs would come and go through the mix of animals in our house... but Tiger was a standard feature who seemed built to last. Now, well over 15 years old, he'd recently begun to have trouble remembering what a cat box is for and after virtually destroying the blessed aroma of our master bedroom suite (not to mention the need to now replace carpet that is less than four years old)... it was time for him to go! Any volunteers? Nope... Dad gets the nod!

Therefore, last Friday was not an easy day. I checked online for the closest and most reasonably priced facility to help with our "problem." I've done this routine before (Bunkley's departure was quite emotional for us, too), so it was nothing new to me. But it is never easy to "determine" the final day of a pet's life. Whether chronically ill or just too old to function properly, it is hard to hear the "last meow."

Since that day last Friday, I've been thinking much about what it must be like for God to watch the "clock" of our lives tick down to that last second. A friend just lost her step dad yesterday. He fought aggressive cancer for 8 months and passed from this life yesterday at noon. October 20, 2008 was his last day in this place. God knew it all along. The man's family painfully saw it coming and began adjusting to that last breath the moment it was breathed, but still it is understandably difficult for them.

I wonder if it is as difficult for God to watch that life clock tick down for someone as it is for us? "All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be" (Psalm 139:16). Even as I write this blog, "Chole" the stray Bichie-Poo (Bichon Poodle mix) we found running behind a friends house a few months ago is laying asleep on my lap, content beyond all apparent measure. We do love our pets, don't we?

God loves His children, too. But when we advance beyond this life to one which is better by far (Phil 1:23) surely it is better for all of us. Perhaps it is even for God! Maybe that remedies some of the pain that is left behind in this place and for those of us who have to wait a while longer. I simply don't know...

Our house is still recovering from Tiger's misfortune (both aromatically and emotionally). It was weird to decide "today" was the day and that reality still lingers in my mind -- we had to choose what day that would be. It makes me appreciate the Creator all the more... He is amazing and His wisdom to know the "whens and wheres" of our existence is something for which I must bow and give praise.