“When the well’s dry, we know the worth of water.”
-Benjamin Franklin
This one is actually a great quote that gives us an opportunity not just to share what we think it means in general, but to share what it means for us individually right now. What is missing in your life right now that you are discovering its worth in its absence?
And… discuss.
Todd
Wow…says it all.
For me at the moment, ‘water’ is community.
For a while I’ve been trying to do things by myself…and we all know how that usually turns out 😉 My church is running this short series and they were pushing us to sign up for small-groups/lifegroups/house church’s to work through it…through doing so, I’ve come to appreciate the importance of being ‘plugged in’ to the rest of the body…
Know what I mean?
For me, right now, the ‘water’ is joy. My husband of 14 years died in November from brain cancer. He died one year exactly from the day of his first (of four) surgeries to remove the tumor. I watched helplessly as the cancer destroyed the physical life of my husband, but never his faith or his sense of humor. Before he died, he was paralyzed on the right side and had lost almost all of his ability to speak. But he could still laugh. He reached for heaven with his left arm and spoke softly to angels that we couldn’t see. We he died, he took my joy with him. We have four sons. He was only 47. He never asked “why me?” He only asked God to, “please use me.” I can’t stop asking why. God told me that I was going to marry him before we had even spoken to each other. Now he’s been taken away. My well of joy is dry.
Its true, so many times in my life i have taken for granted the simple things in life, and i realy need to make my self think what would it be like to not have safe food, good water, safe place to sleep. all over the world our brothers and sisters in Christ are driven from those things, because they stand strong for Jesus. Then I realy think how fortunate i am to live in a land i can still talk and practice the Chrisian faith. I pray i don’t waist the opportunities Jesus gives me. Say thanks Todd for singing songs that make us think.
After losing most of my material possessions twice in my lifetime, I’ve found the thing that has hurt the most has been the loss of people I love through death, betrayal, divorce. But these experiences have made me so much more grateful and appreciative for my son, friends, and significant people who have deeply impacted my life.
When I read the quote by Benjamin Franklin, my mind went to the story of the Samaritan woman in John 4 where Jesus told her that He was the living water from an everlasting spring (the well that doesn’t run dry). Thankfully, He is my only treasure which cannot be lost or stolen. Yet, sometimes I take Him for granted and am guilty of placing my affections on “fools gold” or settling for “cotton candy” (digging my own wells–Jeremiah 2:13) instead of drinking deep from the goodness of God. In our relationships with God and with people, may we value them above all other treasures (God first, others second) and constantly let them know how much they are loved.
It is true when something isn’t there, its value is realized more. The first thing I thought of was how I miss the intimacy I once felt/had with the Lord. I still feel His presence, but we are not as close as we once were… There was a time where I experienced Him in amazing ways almost every day, where I was extremely in tuned with Him. I long for that more than I can express. It seems during the time when I was so close to Him that I almost took it for granted. Now that things are different in my walk with God, I realize how great it was to once have such intimacy with Him.
It’s so easy to take the important things in life for granted, which is usually our relationships. We often fail to invest the time and love into those nearest to us, and one day we realize that because of that we’ve missed out on some of the best things in life. On a more personal note; whenever my beloved husband leaves town for a few days, it becomes much more clear how important he is to me.
After just a few months ago, finding out I had cancer in my bladder(and having it…the cancer… removed Feb. 10). I must say My health and even more so Time( To raise my son and see my 9 month old grandson grow)! God gave me the best outcome for the situation and as long as it don’t come back (50% chance) then I think it will be fine….. but it sure makes you think!