One of the many things that I am grateful for is when I turn on the hot water faucet, hot water comes out. Imagine that! Something so simple is so amazing! In Ghana I had hot water during hot season or in the middle of the afternoon of a sunny day during the rest of the year. I was blessed. The house in which I lived had a poly tank in which to store water. Water from the local water company did not flow every day. So, if you didn’t have a poly tank, two or three days of the week you didn’t have running water in your house, you had to keep water in big barrels or in every bucket you owned. And, water pressure? I won’t even talk about that. I guess mine was better than most since Peace Corps volunteers always told me they loved my shower. Of course, they didn’t have running water where they were living. They had to get their water from the bore hole (pump it), carry it home and take a bucket bath.
Such a simple thing, water is. Most of Americans take water for granted. It’s as if we have a right to running water. But, if we want it, there’s a responsibility, too. That water bill always finds its way to you. A lot of communities have fluoride added to their water. And, the miracle is that the water that comes out of our faucets is safe to drink. Yes, I know there are exceptions to this, but for the most part, you can roll out of bed in the morning and stumble into the bathroom, turn on the water faucet and use that water to brush your teeth. You can actually drink the water that comes out of the water spout wherever you turn on the water in your home. And, it’s safe to drink! Yet, hundreds of thousands of people choose to buy bottled water. After living in Ghana, buying bottled water is no longer a choice for me.
In Ghana, I was very particular about my water. I bought a very good water filter. I filtered all the water I used for drinking, cooking and even brushing my teeth. Yes, it was annoying at times. But, I never had typhoid. And I didn't have water borne illnesses that others had. I sanitized my bottles in between uses and replaced them once in a while, probably not as often as I should have. None of my Ghanaian friends had water filters. They were either drinking the local water or buying water in 500 ml sachets. Few had the income to use on bottled water. The sachets were inexpensive. And, the water in them was not always safe to drink. So, I'm grateful for tap water, even though I don't drink just plain water as much as I should.
Jesus said He would give us living water. I imagine that living water as coming from Him, full of peace and amazing things, especially miracles of the heart. He said if we drank of this living water, we would never be thirsty again, it becomes a fresh bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life. I imagine if I had eternal life, I wouldn't get thirsty. I don't have eternal life yet, not in this world. I get thirsty both physically and spiritually. I know what and Who can quench my thirst. Do you?
