Living Water
I opened up the June edition of the Ensign last night and began reading an article or two before bed. The Lord has a very canny way of leading me to discover/read things that I need to hear at any particular moment. He's quite good at it. And I'm very thankful for that.
Last night was no different. The first article talked about doing what you say you're going to do. I've been really bad at that lately, and I needed a gentle kick in the rump to get me moving in the right direction again. The next article was about hard work and how it pays off. Related to the first article? Yup. Definitely. Commitment requires hard work.
It was the article titled "Drink Deeply of the Living Water" by Matthew Heaps that I read just now while devouring yet another helpless snack size Fast Break (I bought them for my husband for Father's Day but I'm pretty sure I've eaten more of them than him. . . if they're 'snack size', they don't count as calories, right?!?). I was struck by how profound it was. Allow me to quote a section:
"I will always be grateful to a woman in Kenya, Africa, who taught me about willingness to work to obtain water." There we go again-- coinciding with the other articles! "I met her at a celebration following the installation of a well in her community. With gratitude she told me that the new well would cut her daily nine-mile trip to get water to a one-mile trip. She was overjoyed at the opportunities that would now be hers.
"I couldn't help but think how I would feel if I had to walk a mile to get water. I was impressed that she put everything-- from housework to gardening-- aside while she made her journey to fetch water. She knew she couldn't complete the other tasks without that water. I thought about how heavy her burden was. Carrying water takes strength and endurance. Yet, for the sake of her family, she was willing to walk nine miles every day to get it.
"I wonder if we who get clean water from taps in our homes sometimes expect to come unto Christ with the same ease as turning a knob to get a glass of water. Or are we willing to put aside other tasks, even important ones, to seek to know Jesus Christ and His Father?
"I know that the well of living water the Savior offers us never runs dry and is pure and life sustaining. When we come to Him with an empty cup, He will fill it, often beyond our capacity to receive. He is truly living water, a manifestation of the love of God."
The second to last paragraph struck me. I'll admit-- I am totally guilty of expecting a level of ease in just about every aspect of my life. Some days I notice that and work to correct my attitude. Just because I have been blessed tremendously thus far in my life does not automatically qualify me for a life equally blessed down the road. I am privileged to have what I have. . . not entitled. I've been a member of the Church my entire life. Some days, I feel that I don't have to work as hard at the spiritual side of my life as a result. I figure that I can safely skip a night or two of scripture study and mumble out some repetitious prayer before crawling into bed and be 'good to go'. But that's not true.
Receiving the living water that the Lord offers me takes work. I might not have to theoretically hike 9 miles to get it, but I do have to hike. I can't allow spider solitaire, cooking dinner, Netflix, or just plain laziness keep me from quenching my spiritual thirst.
Last night was no different. The first article talked about doing what you say you're going to do. I've been really bad at that lately, and I needed a gentle kick in the rump to get me moving in the right direction again. The next article was about hard work and how it pays off. Related to the first article? Yup. Definitely. Commitment requires hard work.
It was the article titled "Drink Deeply of the Living Water" by Matthew Heaps that I read just now while devouring yet another helpless snack size Fast Break (I bought them for my husband for Father's Day but I'm pretty sure I've eaten more of them than him. . . if they're 'snack size', they don't count as calories, right?!?). I was struck by how profound it was. Allow me to quote a section:
"I will always be grateful to a woman in Kenya, Africa, who taught me about willingness to work to obtain water." There we go again-- coinciding with the other articles! "I met her at a celebration following the installation of a well in her community. With gratitude she told me that the new well would cut her daily nine-mile trip to get water to a one-mile trip. She was overjoyed at the opportunities that would now be hers.
"I couldn't help but think how I would feel if I had to walk a mile to get water. I was impressed that she put everything-- from housework to gardening-- aside while she made her journey to fetch water. She knew she couldn't complete the other tasks without that water. I thought about how heavy her burden was. Carrying water takes strength and endurance. Yet, for the sake of her family, she was willing to walk nine miles every day to get it.
"I wonder if we who get clean water from taps in our homes sometimes expect to come unto Christ with the same ease as turning a knob to get a glass of water. Or are we willing to put aside other tasks, even important ones, to seek to know Jesus Christ and His Father?
"I know that the well of living water the Savior offers us never runs dry and is pure and life sustaining. When we come to Him with an empty cup, He will fill it, often beyond our capacity to receive. He is truly living water, a manifestation of the love of God."
The second to last paragraph struck me. I'll admit-- I am totally guilty of expecting a level of ease in just about every aspect of my life. Some days I notice that and work to correct my attitude. Just because I have been blessed tremendously thus far in my life does not automatically qualify me for a life equally blessed down the road. I am privileged to have what I have. . . not entitled. I've been a member of the Church my entire life. Some days, I feel that I don't have to work as hard at the spiritual side of my life as a result. I figure that I can safely skip a night or two of scripture study and mumble out some repetitious prayer before crawling into bed and be 'good to go'. But that's not true.
Receiving the living water that the Lord offers me takes work. I might not have to theoretically hike 9 miles to get it, but I do have to hike. I can't allow spider solitaire, cooking dinner, Netflix, or just plain laziness keep me from quenching my spiritual thirst.
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