Are you living dehydrated?

Beautiful as can be, I had seen her wait patiently in line to get her books signed.
As she walked up to me, she hugged me and as she did she whispered, “I’ve convinced everyone I can help pass out water but I am about to die of thirst.”
I think she was expecting me to be surprised, but I wasn’t. Isn’t that the story of so many of us? Her honesty refreshed me and I responded with, “well your awareness of your need is mercy at its finest.”
I was speaking to a group of women about the woman at the well…I had never preached on that story before but if I’m being honest, part of me didn’t want to. It felt contrite. Here we were, a bunch of women, coming to the well, idk. But the Holy Spirit was all over it.
As I read John 4, I could see myself in her. Jesus’ tenderness + compassion, even in His weary state, is so raw + beautiful.
And I know as I prepared to speak, the Shepherd had been sifting hearts like this woman in front of me, assuring me that thirst is what affects everything and somehow, despite our constant access + unlimited supply, we live dehydrated.

From a physical standpoint, this is true, too. Our bodies less agile, our brains less astute, + our souls less aware of His hand moving because we are operating at a deficit.
Jesus knows this.
And He meets us—in our shame, in our struggle, in our stubborn attempt to keep going on our own—and He says, “DRINK.”

Let the living water saturate what feels painful + pointless; invite Him into the mundane + ask Him to work a miracle.
Like taking cold bottles of water and strategically putting them in places you know that you’ll be, do the same.
Commit to gulping down what you know satisfies so that you can operate from a place of affirmation and security BEFORE you make the decision, have that conversation, or do that next thing.

I suppose we think that because His supply is abundant + His availability is constant, we can go whenever we please.
But soon we realize, the longer we wait, we handle our days + God’s people with a shriveled up version of ourselves when He came to restore, replenish, + revive.

We prayed + my new + beautiful friend replied, “I didn’t realize my pain was simply dehydration.”

DRINK