In my Bible Study this semester we’re reading “Encounters With Jesus” by Timothy Keller. One of the encounters he explores is the woman at the well. This is a familiar story to most, but I want to take a look at one aspect of it.
In John 4, Jesus, at the hottest part of the day, breaking all sorts of cultural barriers, goes to a well. There he meets a woman and asks her for a drink. She is confused because He is a Jew and she is a Samaritan woman and those two groups did not mix. “How can you ask me for a drink?” she asks. Jesus replies, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” (John 4:10)
After more discussion it turns out that this woman was looking to other things – men – to fill her never ending thirst. Jesus was offering her Living Water to fill that void instead.
This got me thinking about what I try to fill the voids in my life with, instead of Him, instead of Living Water. Many of these “fillers” in and of themselves are not wrong or bad, but in excess they can become unhealthy and take the place of the One who gave His life for us.
In “Encounters With Jesus” Timothy Keller puts it this way: “Everybody has got to live for something, but Jesus is arguing that, if he is not that thing, it will fail you….it will enslave you.” (p. 28) So I ask you the same questions: What do you live for? What is enslaving you?
Maybe it’s social media. You find yourself scrolling and time gets away from you. Before you know it you’re comparing yourself and your life to those you see on your feed. You begin to feel your ‘not-enoughness” and redouble your efforts to do more and be more to impress your followers.
Maybe it’s overindulging in food or alcohol. The “treat yourself” mentality has become a daily habit. When feelings threaten to get overwhelming, you turn to substances to soothe you.
Maybe it’s success and money. If you just get promoted, you’ll be happy. If you get a raise that will mean you’ve “arrived.”
Maybe it’s sleep or laziness. This could look like hitting snooze one more time and then having to rush around to get out the door on time or zoning out to episode after episode on Netflix.
Or the opposite: Maybe it’s busyness. If you don’t stop doing and can fill your life with tasks and to-do lists, you’ll feel satisfied and fulfilled.
Maybe it’s relationships. Being popular and well liked feels so good. Or perhaps your self-worth comes from a man’s attention. You might expect a man to meet all your needs.
Or, maybe, it is something else entirely.
This is not meant to condemn you or make you feel shame. Jesus did not make the woman at the well feel ashamed, but He did make her think. How can we be more self-aware and intentional about filling ourselves with Living Water that comes from within rather than outside sources that will never satisfy?
Another quote from the book that struck me was: “And Jesus says, ‘Unless you’re worshiping me, unless I’m the center of your life, unless you’re trying to get your spiritual thirst quenched through me and not through these other things, unless you see that the solution must come inside rather than just pass by outside, then whatever you worship will abandon you in the end.’” (p. 30)
We all worship something. What are you worshiping? If, like me, find yourself enslaved and worshiping anything other than Jesus Christ, it’s time to lay those things at the foot of the cross and allow the refreshing, never-ending Living Water of our Savior to fill you.
Photo by Alexandru Zdrobău on Unsplash
ABOUT OUR BLOGGER
Danielle (Dani) Rupp grew up in a small town in Ohio and is a true Buckeye fan, though she tries not to be obnoxious about it. In 2011 she came to PA to earn her Master of Social Work degree. After graduation Dani accepted a position as a mental health therapist for children and adolescents in Coatesville. She was a nanny for several years as well. During that time she lived in Kennett Square and attended Willowdale Chapel. She returned several years ago from South Asia where she learned to tolerate spicy food and cross the roads without being hit, as well as volunteered with International Justice Mission in their Aftercare Department. In her free time, Dani enjoys going on mission trips/traveling, running, reading, and connecting with loved ones—preferably over coffee and a sweet treat.