We’ve had a rough week at our house. On Friday night our well pump broke, and we have been without water ever since.

I’m trying to remain positive- but it has been really, really difficult to live without water. I’m ashamed to admit how much I took the luxury of running water for granted until now. We flush our toilets about once a day with water that my dad brought over for us. I’ll spare you the details, but know that this is a difficult situation to be in when you’ve got a semi-potty trained toddler. I had hoped to make hamburgers the other night for dinner, but then I realized that once I shape the patties I wouldn’t be able to wash my hands. I made a frozen pizza instead but then was in a bit of a pickle when I realized the pizza cutter was dirty. We’re using paper products for our meals- but our sink is still overflowing with dirty pots and pans. No water for bathing or playing in the sprinkler. No water for my veggie garden or beloved house plants. No water for laundry… and we do a lot of laundry. No water for cleaning the floors or wiping up spills. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gone to do a simple task and then realized, “Oh yeah…I need water for that."

This situation has also highlighted a lot of my own personal shortcomings. I always have a certain amount of things in my life that I consider to be unpleasant or stressful, and I can cope with those things more or less just fine. These stressors that I struggle with are only magnified under the added pressure of not having water. If I make myself stop and reflect for a moment I’m forced to deal with the fact that not having water in my house is the least of my problems right now. Someday my house will have water again. However, I have shortcomings and issues and frustrations that I can typically ignore, I have sins that I can either justify or sweep under the rug- none of those things will be fixed when the water turns back on.

I read this week from John 4 where Jesus encounters the Samaritan woman at the well, and they have a conversation about water. Jesus asks for a drink and the woman comments that normally a Jewish man wouldn’t be talking to a Samaritan. Then Jesus tells her that really she should be the one asking him for a drink, if only she knew! The water Jesus provides wouldn’t come from that well or any other, he wouldn’t need a rope and bucket to draw this water, but his water is one that would permanently quench her thirst. She is interested in this water that will keep her from being thirsty, and would keep her from having to walk all the way to the well to draw a bucket of water. I imagine that she was a bit shocked then, when he responded by telling her that he knew about all her sins. I bet she had reasons and justifications for her sins. I imagine she felt like she could hide most of her sins. We all need to drink water, we can’t pretend like we don’t need it. Yet we’re all also in need of this living water, we could be desperate for it- but we can hide that need behind lies and excuses. But here is the Messiah, and he knew what this woman was trying to hide, and now she believed in Him. Jesus sees our earthly needs and he understands them and cares about them. But then he also sees our spiritual needs that maybe we’re not quite so in tune with and he has a better way if we’re willing to follow. His water rinses the wounds from our deepest hurts, it washes our sins away, it will bring us to a future life where all the bad stuff is not only gone but undone. That’s amazing.

I find it interesting how when the woman at the well hears the things that Jesus has to share with her she leaves her jug and goes to tell everyone what she’d just heard. She walked all the way to that well to get water- and suddenly it was of secondary importance. The realization that her spiritual thirst was more important inspired her to go and tell others what she had heard. Then in John 4:39-42 it says, "Now from that city many of the Samaritans believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, “He told me all the things that I have done.” So when the Samaritans came to Jesus, they were asking Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days. Many more believed because of His word; and they were saying to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves and know that this One truly is the Savior of the world.” Wow. Many believed in Him because of her testimony.

I’ve probably read that story in John a thousand times over my life. I know it front and back. It wasn’t until I was in this position of not having water that it hit me how often I use it, and how much I desperately need it. And reading this passage this week it hit me how desperately I need Jesus’ living water, too. Don’t get me wrong, this water situation will likely continue to be extremely difficult for me and my family. However, perhaps this will be a refining time for us as well as we deal with this situation. As I try to refocus on my need for living water, I’m finding myself a bit more accepting of my lack of actual water.