Living water. Never thirst again. Hmm....

John 4: 15-17 - "The woman said to him, "Sir, give me this water so that I won't get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water." He told her, "Go, call your husband and come back." "I have no husband," she replied."

Living water. Never thirst again....hmm....He definately had her attention now. As she looked at her water jar and felt the ache in her muscles from the chore of lugging this empty jar to the well to be filled with water....daily. Back and forth, fill and refill however many times a day they needed water. To never thirst again? How? I don't know but I want it!

She says to him, "Sir, give me this water so that I won't get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water." In the Message - The woman said, "Sir, give me this water so I won't ever get thirsty, won't ever have to come back to this well again!" Can you feel her yearning desire and excitement, "she won't ever have to come back to this well again".

This daily chore of coming to the well for water was hard for her not just physically but emotionally and mentally. She came alone and at the time of day when no one else would be there because she was filled with shame. She didn't want to see or talk to anyone or feel the piercing glares, pointing fingers or hateful words spoken to her. This daily chore, although a daily need for water was a constant reminder of her life. This isn't what she dreamed for her life, she simply wanted to be loved & valued. To have a purpose more than this to live for.

Jesus lovingly and maybe even enthusiastically said to her, "Go, call your husband and come back." He probably affectionately smiled in her direction and then simply waited for her response to the truth. She cleverly and cautiously responds a partial truth - "I have no husband." She wasn't quite sure if she could risk it, to take off the mask of her life and reveal complete truth. After all this was a stranger, a man she just met. I understand and feel the inner turmoil of letting go of the "mask" that she was hiding behind because I am guilty of this so on many days. Do I risk it....open up my hands and surrender, and let go and trust that God knows me....my past, my present and my future. Psalm 139 tells me that He knows every detail about me. He "gets Me" He understands my weaknesses, my fears and insecurities, He knows my past hurts and my anxious thoughts. He knows the condition of my heart and He is familiar with me. This is a Truth that I am learningto embrace on a deeper level. I can find hope, comfort, peace of mind and confidence because God knows me better than I know myself and He loves me!

Jesus is not fooled by my clever intent or cunning manipulation of facts. I cannot hide truth in my life from God. I am discovering that sometimes He uses the very thing that I am trying so hard to keep "hidden" as the catalyst to bring me out of my own darkness and into His light.

Was she thirsty enough to come clean and admit that she was living a life she was not proud of. Am I thirsty enough to come clean before Christ and reveal the sin hidden in my heart?

"God call your husband". This is a plea from Jesus, our Heavenly Father, to come clean before Him, for us to admit what He already knows: That we are not perfect. He constantly gives us daily opportunities to come to Him, we cannot hide from Him (Psalm 139:7-9) and He tells us if we seek Him, we will find Him. (Jeremiah 29:13-14) In the Message - "When you come looking for me, you'll find me. "Yes, when you get serious about finding me and want it more than anything else, I'll make sure you won't be disappointed."

Don't make the mistake and fall into the trap that I have fallen into so many times and assume that I can minimize God's perception and inspection into the hidden pieces of my heart, fasten tight the mask, cover my tracks and then paint myself in the best possible light. God sees what we try to hide from Him. God is offering us truth to bring us out of hiding and quench our thirst. God himself is asking me just like He asked this parched woman if she was thirsty enough for His living water. If she was thirsty enough to come clean before Him. Living water....never thirst again.....hmm. I want to be filled and overflowing from the springs of His living water.