It' s been a few weeks. Sorry! In the time since I last sat down to write I've gone back to the office full-time, made sure some sweet friends had a beautiful wedding equal only to their beautiful story (in UTAH), processed 128 student schedule change requests, hosted 150 for dinner at my house, facilitated teacher-week at school, somehow got my own children ready for school to start, AND managed to get 470 students (their families) & 50+ staff navigated through the first week of school. Just a couple of weeks in my tornado... I mean life.
I have such interesting interactions with people these days- some who know what my summer entailed and some who are just finding out. Most often, these are incredibly encouraging and uplifting conversations. A common thread, after agreeing that we are thankful I am able to continue on in my role as school principal, is some sort of amazement that I am able to do all of it. I share this sentiment. The list of what I've done recently is not to toot my own horn but to say that I, too, have a sense of awe at what only God's grace has allowed me to do and to become.
In California, as we continue to suffer severe drought, the issue of water and wells is a sensitive one. We are living out on the ranch next to my parents and our houses share a well. Several weeks ago we had a petty good scare as it relates to our source of water. My dad (in the wee 'farmer hours' of the morning) discovered that there was no water coming into the house. This is BAD. There are logical consequences: flushing (go outside boys!), washing (dishes, bodies, clothes, houses), drinking. These are the things we must live with while we discover the source of the problem: Did the pump go out? Did the water table drop below the pump line? Did the well GO DRY?
Any one of the potential issues with a well spells trouble. Of course, we will naturally jump to worst case scenario (we are, after all, human). If that well is dry we are toast. In the valley, families are on waiting lists months long to pay tens of thousands of dollars to dig new wells. Water is necessary for life. What will we do?? The other two problems: low water or broken pump, although easier to fix, would still be expensive and require an available pump company... in a valley wracked by drought. Read to the end to see how this ended!
As I (I will admit) freaked out a little these past weeks about how stuff was going to get done in a season where I have been more tired than I've ever been in my life- there is no explanation for how it got done except that my "well", my source of strength was tapped in a way that it has never been tapped before. Each of us has a "well" that we rely on. As believers that "well" is God, the source of our life hope and strength. In the same way that our family's water-well needed some maintenance, our spiritual wells may need some attention from time to time too.
What do we do when we feel spiritually dry? When that living water doesn't seem to be running through our pipes as freely as it once did? We need to assess the issue:
1. Did the pump (my desire and effort to seek that water) go out?
Have I been going after God with everything I have or is there something that needs to be repaired? One of the gears? (motivators) Is there something stuck in there (distractions)? Have I not been following the scheduled maintenance plan (time with God, study of his word, fellowship with other believers, giving back through my time talent and treasure) and the pump is asking for attention?
2. Does that water seem far away?
I don't know all of the technicalities of wells, so bear with me on this one... One option was that the water and the pump were not near enough to each other to make meaningful contact- the solution was to move that pump closer to the water and re-prime the pump. The water was still there, it just needed to be accessed again. There are times in our spiritual journey where we feel distant from God. He is still there, we just need to move back into proximity with him. We make contact with him, sometimes in a new context or scenario, and the spiritual water once again becomes the source of our strength.
3. Is that well dry?
Maybe you've not ever drunk from the well that offers satisfaction not found anywhere else in this life. Maybe you've been seeking strength, life, cleanliness, and hope somewhere other than in God. It is time to dig a new well. It may be costly. You may have to give up a location or a route or a habit but, in turn, you will be finding your satisfaction and rest in the well that promises to never run dry.
Jesus said in John 4:14, "But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life."
So, just HOW have I managed, despite the odds, to keep going? Only by going to the source. On the days where I feel a bit dry- if you will- I do a heart check. Am I remembering the tremendous resource I've been given through new life in Christ? The song running through my mind right now says "Christ is enough for me...". Truly he is. "I have decided to follow Jesus, no turning back no turning back...". Whatever may come.
How did the story end for our H2O issue? The pump needed to be moved closer to the water (sounds easier than it actually was) and within the span of a few minutes the water was once again flowing into our homes. Was it a stressful day? Yes! Did it end well? Yes! And, it gave me another great way to take something from the day and use it to point back to Jesus. It never ceases to amaze me how it all points back to Him!
My prayer for you is that, in the same way that I have experienced His refreshment grace and strength these past months and weeks, you will remain close to the source and that it will sustain you each day. In the same way that we are going to keep a closer eye on that water well between our houses, we should all hold to the truth found in Proverbs 4:23, "Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flows the springs of life."
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