Faithful Friday: Jesus Water

Angela Thomas was our final speaker of the Women of Joy conference.  It was exciting to see an author in person, who wrote the book of our current women's Brave study.  This tiny woman has a fill the room type of presence and the love of God just spills out of her.  She did not disappoint.

In fact, her words resonated with me probably more than any other speaker over the weekend.  My notes were a testament to that, as they spanned multiple pages.  And yet, what she shared was so simple, it's something we should've known all along.

"The cup of your soul is where you long for eternity," she shared.  My soul echoed in agreement with her.

Angela demonstrated with an empty glass.  She described how each of us take those cups and search for someone or something to fill it.  We're disappointed when our spouse can't.  We're frustrated when our children can't.  We're let down when the "things" of this world can't.  But nothing of this world can ever fill that spot.  Our cups can only be filled with the living water of Jesus.

And with such visual beauty, she began to pour clear, life sustaining, refreshing water into the cup.  Our "Jesus Water" as she referenced, was the only source of our true happiness, comfort and support.  And that the more we drank from this water, the more of Him would spill out into every crack and crevice of our life. 

Jesus said to her, “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

We only have to surrender to Him fully to receive it.  To put our lives into his hand, like a sponge, and draw from His never-ending well.  And yet, trust, or rather lack of it, often prevents us from doing so.

When life doesn't go as we had envisioned or planned, we question if He has our best interest at heart.  We doubt and sometimes think we can do it better.  We try to jump ahead and fix things.  It's the typical woman -and mother instinct- for most of us.

But God whispered something to me while Angela poured water on the stage.

He flashed memories of me pre-pregnancy, pregnant, and then the joy-filled moments when I held those baby boys in my arms.  All of us parents, before being a parent, loved the idea of a child.  We dreamed about what we might name them, happy outings we would have, and who they might grow up to be.  Those dreams grew each month, along with our bellies, and we ached with anticipation.  Our love grew too, for someone we hadn't even seen.

Yet nothing prepares us for the overflowing love that fills the room the moment that sweet baby is placed in our arms.  When our eyes connect for the first time and their little hearts beat outside of us.  How could there be so much love for someone you've only just met?!  Unexplainable - no words - kind of love.

That's the kind of love God has for us from the very beginning.  Before we even were...he loved us.  He sent his son to die for us knowing what we would be...someday.  Who we would be.  The ultimate parent, he fully knew and loved us pre-creation to eternity because he is all-knowing and all-seeing.  That's an unexplainable - no words - kind of love.

And just as our babies fully surrender to us for love, comfort, wisdom, and guidance, so will our Father be there for us.  Something about that picture makes me want to run, childlike with arms wide open, into the arms of Jesus, ready for him to fill my cup.

Therefore with joy shall you draw water out of the wells of salvation. - Isaiah 12:3

Women of Joy - part 2

Lisa Whelchel was another speaker on last Saturday morning I was excited to hear. I grew up watching her as Blair, on The Facts of Life.  I rooted for her most recently on Survivor and admired her example of faith on the show.

During her testimony she shared how she found God at an early age. Like myself, she sometimes wished she had some amazing salvation story.  No dramatic turn of events, no bells and whistles, no happy ending redemption.

Sadly the mistakes I've made in life were all post-Christian. But as Lisa shared, thanks to God's amazing grace, he still loves me. He still uses me for his glory.

Something hit me during her talk and I scrambled to write it in the dark...

I found God early because of what was ahead in my life.
I needed HIM for the testimony that was to come!

My testimony isn't how I found Jesus but what he's done in my life. Most of all - HOW he's been in my life. And despite the pain and sorrow I've faced, my testimony is that He has always been there with me.  I couldn't have survived the "life" I've lived, were it not because I've been held through it.

Jesus knew "in this life you will face many troubles" and, through His providence, came to me at early age for the foundation of faith I'd need.

Wow.

I'd never really thought about that before.  That, even though the testimony I share is post-tragedy, He was working within and in the background of my life from the start.  All those years growing up in my Grandpa's church, learning the stories, seeing faith in action, would be tucked away for future use. 

Isn't it amazing when He gives us a glimpse into his wisdom? His divine plan for us?  Even if it's past tense, to look back and see His mighty hand guiding and preparing me all along, is a powerful picture. 

It's one I'm joyfully glad was revealed to me from a dark seat in a large auditorium at Women of Joy.