Earlier this week I wrote about the
storms of life. It is funny that storms involve a lot of water, but
you can hardly call them refreshing. In order to bloom, however, you
do need water, but a soft, gentle rain or a bubbling spring is best
for that. Often after a storm the water runs off and you are left
with the dry cracked earth of the desert. So what then?
Sometimes God is gracious and provides
us a season of rest after the storm or more often small breaks, or
breathers as I like to call them, even in the midst of longer storms.
But if we aren't careful we could use these breaks as an excuse to
rest on our laurels, as though we are “entitled” to these
moments.
I went through this a couple of years
ago. I had gone through chemo, lumpectomy and then radiation and,
though I was still getting herceptin, it was only short trips to the
chemo chair every few weeks and seemed like nothing compared to what
I had gone through in the last year. I thought the cancer was gone
and that I was finally able to rest. The problem is that I decided
that was a rest from everything—my household duties, my health
(eating right and excercising), and most appaling of all, my prayer
life and quiet time with the Lord. By doing this, I actually was
self imposing desert living. I grew complacent and distant from God
and as a consequence was not growing.
I had a rather jarring wake up call
when friends had to confront me with the knowledge that I was
neglecting my children to the point that the day care had mentioned
calling CPS. Thank goodness that never happened. I could have
wallowed, put up a fight exclaiming “but look what I have gone
through?” or “why aren't you accusing Brian of the same things?”
O.K. I did a fair amount of this at first. But then I woke up and
confronted myself and it drew me closer to God as I prayed about what
I needed to do. First things first is that I had to get back to the
Word and use it to water my soul back to green. I also reflected on
how God's goodness had gotten me that far. Finally the brown,
cracked earth of my heart began to come back to life.
Think about the Isrealites. They went
from having too much water when they were threatened by the Red Sea,
to grumbling about being thirsty to the point of death. Maybe if
they had reflected on God's goodness in saving them out of Egypt,
they would have realized that God was not going to let them go. God
provides what we need, if we rely on him for the giving.
That is the key to bringing the
refreshment of water back to the desert moments in our life. Go to
the true source of the Living Water—Christ's love as reflected in
the Bible and in our own life through his loving provision. Spend
time in prayer and in the Word even if it feels strange at first,
like you are going through the motions. The pump needs to be primed
a bit before the water begins to flow. That isn't any fault of God's
though, but a by product of our neglect. Look over your life and
record even the smallest of merciful moments where Christ's love
brought you through the storms of your life. Then watch how God
brings you back to life again. And don't forget to reflect and
record that blooming.
We don't have to wait for rest to bring
the Living Water into our lives. We need to stay in the Word while
we are going through the storms. In doing so we are catching the
rain water so it can do good to our souls, rather than running out
into the gutters of life. We should reflect on and record the
littlest provisions, the strength and peace God provides through it
all. Then maybe we can experience more of the gentle waters of the
cool garden and less of the cracked earth of the desert. Then when we
are given rest, it won't be wasted, but will be times of true
blooming.
Psalm 1:2-4
New International Version (NIV)
2 but
whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
and who meditates on his law day and night.
3 That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
whatever they do prospers.
and who meditates on his law day and night.
3 That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
whatever they do prospers.
John 7:37-39
New International Version (NIV)
37 On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood
and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and
drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers
of living water will flow from within them.”
