All Who Are Thirsty

All Who Are Thirsty

The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail. ~Isaiah 58:11

Ten years ago, on our honeymoon, my husband and I hiked eleven miles but didn’t pack enough water. In the beginning, we were fine. Our jungle trail had an ocean view, and we were hopped up on endorphins and the fact we were husband and wife. Then the sun and temperature rose, and our attitudes plummeted.

I have a picture of my husband attempting to crack a bamboo stalk to get to the water (he couldn’t). The irony was that the hike culminated in waterfalls. Glorious waterfalls. The kind that yellow, touristy helicopters buzz like bees. The water was available to us, but we couldn’t drink it since we didn’t want to spend two weeks in Kauai with intestinal complications.

I remember how eager we were to reach the rental car, where our water bottles awaited. I remember that feeling of finally being quenched after so much thirst.

Those first few months after marriage were good but not blissful because I was thirsty in a different way: thirsty for affirmation (from a husband who wasn’t much of a talker), thirsty to be seen (while stocking shelves in a grocery store), thirsty for fellowship (with no friends or family around).

All of this thirst stemmed from my soul’s desire for love.

That thirst drove me, it is true: it drove me to create a blog, write books, dabble in social media, but the thing about quenching a thirst from the wrong source is that that thirst comes back again, harder and harsher. Like taking a big gulp of salt water when you need fresh, that thirst is momentarily quenched only to make the soul-dehydration worse.

My mom, as a joke, recently sent me a link to an article about a woman who earns a living cuddling people. She said her clients just want to feel physically connected in this digital age.

Then this morning, on our way to church, my husband glanced over at the courthouse where a woman held a sign. He said, “Does that say ‘Free Hugs’?”

I could see the sign but couldn’t read it. As we drew closer, though, it was clear: the woman was standing on the corner of the courthouse square, at 9:45 on a Sunday morning, holding a white poster that said “Free Hugs.” Her five- or six-year-old son was playing near her feet.

My husband said, “That’s creepy.”

But I thought about that this afternoon. About this picture I keep seeing everywhere I look.

People are thirsty. They are as thirsty as that time we tried cracking bamboo stalks to access water. So often, they are trying to quench that thirst through the wrong source.

The other night, a friend mentioned that he knew a guy who was addicted to Red Bulls. It got so bad that he began voiding blood. The doctor told him he had to quit. So, the guy switched to Mountain Dew.

That’s it: no water. Just Mountain Dew.

How often do we switch from a bad source of water only to find that the “good” can’t quench us either?

A drug addict becomes a preacher, but then he stops getting filled through Jesus and begins pouring out from his own strength. Let me tell you, there’s not a faster soul-shriveler around.

Or a grocery shelf stocker becomes an author, but then she stops getting filled through Jesus and begins pouring out from her own strength. Let me tell you, there’s not a faster soul-shriveler around.

Whenever I find that I’m comparing myself to others, I know I’m thirsty. Whenever my husband isn’t “doing enough,” I know I’m thirsty. Whenever I lose patience with my girls, I know I’m thirsty.

I have heard it said that if you’re thirsty, you are already dehydrated, and I thought how that saying—scientific or not—could also be applied to our spiritual lives.

Regardless of how many books I sell, I will still be thirsty. Regardless of how many social media “followers” I have, I will still be thirsty. Regardless of how many times my husband tells me I’m loved, I will still be thirsty if I am not quenching my soul with the only One whose love will never run dry.

Jesus is the only one. I wanted to say this the other night while I stood in line and heard the thirst around me. Have you ever stood and listened? Truly listened not with your ears but with your soul? We are a thirsty people, who find our value in our work, our family, our money, our connections.

But if we’re constantly getting filled with Jesus, we have no choice but to become a vessel, overflowing with His love. Jesus is the only one who has the living water that will quench us. He is the only one whose love will allow our souls to never run dry.

How are you going to stay “filled” this week?