– by Kimberly Morrison

One morning recently, we had no water in the house, and we’d actually had no water or very low water pressure for several days. It was becoming very frustrating, especially for Jared, who works so hard to try and make everything perfect for us. It also happened to be one of our Luganda language class mornings, which made things even more stressful.

Our teacher, Amelia, arrived promptly at 9:00am and I explained to her that Jared would be late to class because he was working with the plumber to resolve the water problems. Amelia loves teaching Luganda, but loves teaching us about Ugandan culture even more.

Since we were having (what we thought was) a water crisis, she took some time to give me some cultural insight into how water is viewed in Uganda. The most common phrase about water in Luganda is, “bulamu be amazzi,” which is translated “water is life.” In Uganda, many people walk miles every day to reach the nearest water source and then carry home one or two extremely heavy 20-liter jerry cans of water. They also know how to make that water last as long as possible.

As soon as Amelia spoke that phrase, “water is life” in the midst of our perceived water crisis, it hit me like a brick to the face (tis the season for Home Alone references). Oh, how often we satisfy our spiritual thirst with lesser things because we’ve never really been desperate for living water, and in turn, desperate for The One who gives it.

Many Ugandans in the slums and villages are desperate for clean, life-giving water. They do whatever it takes to get it and can make what little they do get last for days. However, in the states, it’s just another thing we drink. It’s difficult for us Western Christians, with our endless comforts and conveniences, to truly realize our desperate need for living water, and The One who gives it.

In our home we’ve been asking ourselves some questions about this lately and wanted to challenge you to ask yourself also:

• Am I spiritually dehydrated?
• Is He just another thing I drink when I run out of soda, sweet tea, or anything really that distracts me, or is He my number one thirst quencher?
• Do I truly know how desperately I need this living water?
• Do I do whatever it takes daily to get my spiritual refreshment?
• Am I so spiritually hydrated that I can make it through a few dry days every once in a while?

…Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life. -John 4:13-14