Stained Glass Pickup

My new co-authored book will be out in September, A Scrapbook of Christmas Firsts ~ Stories to Warm Your Heart and Tips to Simplify Your Holiday. Check it out at http://ourchurch.com/member/c/Christmas_Sbook/ or check out our new blog where my co-authors and I post six days a week on different holiday topics, recipes, and we post many pictures of products or our families: http://scrapbookofchristmasfirsts.com/

Book Drawing next Thursday, July 31. Get your name in the “opportunity box.” Leave a comment here or email me at writecat@consolidated.net and I’ll enter your name for the July book drawing to win a copy of The Stained Glass Pickup.

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A glossy picture in a Christian magazine shows a young girl from a Third World country. With her hands, she is splashing water onto her face from a trickling faucet. Her hair is turban-wrapped, her eyes closed, her lips smile because she is refreshed by life-giving water.

A look of intense delight radiates her countenance. The caption reads, "She's tasting pure water for the first time. Imagine her excitement when it reaches her soul."

The photo reminded me of the Hebrews' drink-needs when they traveled from Egypt through desert lands. Bible scholars number the Hebrews exiting Egypt between 1.2 million and 2 million, plus sheep, chickens and dogs.

Later, when they grumbled about their thirsts, a rock became a fountain. I had imagined a garage-size rock, Moses striking it with his staff then a small stream of water emerging. But trickles don't assuage thousands upon thousands’ thirsts.

The story of the Hebrews' parched throats is found in Exodus 17 and Numbers 20. Quantitative details about the fresh water God supplied are in the Psalms: "Water as abundant as the seas" and water flowing down "like rivers" (78:15-16). When Moses struck the rock, "water gushed out, and streams flowed abundantly" (20).

Another psalm tells about the "God of Jacob, who turned the rock into a pool, the hard rock into springs of water" (Psalm 114:8). The additional information in the psalms deepened my puddle-thinking.

God is not a trickle fountain, nor is he tight fisted. Desert travelers need sufficient water. Moisture-starved pilgrims need abundance, an extravagance of water, and that's just what God gave.

The Hebrews also "drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ" (1 Corinthians 10:3). God kept their bodies alive with water while their spirits feasted on his presence.

Years ago on a country road, my vehicle broke down in 100-degree weather. After walking two miles, my thirst was extreme. Several cars passed but none offered a lift. Disheartened and thirsty, I needed relief. The eventual savior-truck-driver dropped me off at a convenience store. I had access to water again, just what I needed.

Physical thirst is not the worst thirst I've suffered. A need for liquid is usually easily met in my water-pampered culture, but there are worse ways to dry up. Tap water doesn't solve every thirst.

An old hymn lyric states a truth: "There's a fountain free." For dehydrated seekers, family or friends, an oasis is near. In the name of Jesus, a cup of "living water" can be shared – and imagine their excitement when it reaches their souls.