(re-published post from 3/2014)
Psalm 63:1
You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water.
I used to struggle with dehydration. After I graduated from college and began teaching, I found that it was hard to get out of the classroom to use the bathroom. I got in the habit of not drinking throughout the day. After I had my own kids it was still the same, time was so short, the kids needed to be cared for, there was no time for a potty break. I knew I needed to drink more, but you know the funny thing was, I wasn’t really thirsty anymore. In fact I got to the point where I didn’t like to drink water or anything else very much. I also started developing headaches, dizziness, severe dry skin,… And my doctor was very clear with me, “You NEED to drink, you are suffering from chronic dehydration.”
In Haiti, chronic dehydration is a national epidemic that has severe health ramifications, and coupled with mineral deficiencies, can lead to all kinds of terrible problems , some which mimic insanity. The problem in Haiti is the lack of access to clean, fresh drinking water. But I live in the United States, I have clean fresh water on tap 24/7, but I had developed a habit.
Not a good habit but a habit of resistance and refusal. It was a hard habit to change (aren’t they all). But my doctor’s words were a wake up call, I needed to do something. I needed to drink, but I had discovered the awful truth, the less you drink the less thirsty you are. I needed to drink whether I felt like it or not. I found that the more water I drank the thirstier I became, now if my water bottle isn’t handy ( and I have several now) I feel bereft and very thirsty.
These past two months, studying and memorizing scripture, has been so refreshing. You see, I didn’t know how thirsty I was. I was having all these issues and problems of the heart and I couldn’t understand why. But God, was kind enough to give me the prescription, “You NEED to drink, you are suffering from spiritual dehydration!”
Memorizing God’s word is becoming such a pleasure, it hasn’t always been so. But you see, I needed to do it because I needed it, not because I wanted it, since of course I didn’t realize that I was thirsty in the first place. I encourage you to take a quick survey of how you are doing, are you full of vitality, full of gratitude for all that God is doing in and around you? Is each day both a challenge and an adventure? Do you have something left to give anyone else or are you tapped out? Dry as bone… If so consider taking a moment to hide God’s word in your heart, you may not realize how thirsty you are.
Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I give him will become in him a spring of water welling to eternal life.” John 4:13-14