WHY WATER?

Ever since WATER 4 Christmas was unvelied I wanted to be to be involved. At first it was because of these girls, Cassie and Jody. Because I felt their passion and I wanted to be involved. Their hearts for missions and the country of Africa has changed me. I like to say, ruined me. I cant watch tv, shop, eat or be...the same anymore. I think, why am I buying this? do I NEED it? Why do I do this? I have images of the people with less than me on my mind a lot. Yes, they ruined my brain. and I thank them.

Then I saw how Courtney was started making tshirts for WATER and how she explained WATER to her children. And how Amy used her talents to make coasters and her mom made ornaments...They were all inspiring to me. So I gave $, I bought t-shirts and water bottles. They have pushed me so that I cannot sit and just be. I saw the videos of the thirsty and I thought, what if that were my child? my sister? Me? It isn't right, and I wanted to be part of making it right. If just one life could be saved, that was enough.

But there was something more eating at me. Something that God was trying to tell me, to show me through this. There was some reason that WATER was brought to me, some reason my eyes were opened to WATER. Something kept waking me up in the night...almost haunting me. Because lets face it, there are hundreds of worthy causes to give our money and our time to. There are millions of haunting stories and images that can compel us to give. I've never given to something like this before. But I knew God put WATER on these girls hearts and then on mine for some other reason and I just couldn't figure it out.

Then all at once the significance of WATER hit me. Its like Jesus finally said, "Hey, human, here!" and he threw it at me because I wasn't coming up with it on my own. What it came down to was that if only one life was saved through the WATER for Christmas campaign I would bet that everyone involved would still have given the same. To stop even one child's pain I think the same $, time and energy would have been given. And that said something to me. Because of course, that is what Christ did for us. For me. He came to save the world. BUT He would have come to save just ONE. Even me. Even me. And so for me this WATER business is Christ played out. That is WHY WATER.

I believe the point of missions, of aid, is that if that if a physical body is less thirsty, hungry, cold, scared, sick...that their spiritual eyes might be open.

They might look beyond that all consuming physical need and realize their spiritual need and that they might see that their spiritual need is so very much greater. Perhaps the workers building the wells might know of Christ or perhaps when someone tries to tell the people of their great Savior, they will be able to comprehend and they will taste the LIVING WATER.

Jesus said Himself, I am the Living Water. In John 4 when the Samaritan woman at the well was questioning Jesus about water He answered, "Everyone who drinks this water (referring to the physical water she came to draw from the well) will be thirsty again (v.13), but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life. (v14)"

And that ultimately is my goal. That somehow, through water being brought to these people, that they will know of the Living Water. The One who came not to save them physically, but to save them spiritually, eternally. Saved. Eternally.

So that is WHY WATER. I don't think it was coincidence that WATER was brought to our heart's. I don't think it coincidence that Jody, Cassie and Amy cant turn their hearts away from it and why they brought it back to us for all seasons. A promise from our Savior to give WATER so that they might never thirst again.

Nothing is by accident with Christ. So go, give WATER. Not just 4 Christmas, but for Every Season. Be one of the 300 voices. Because believe me the Holy Spirit is waiting, ready. He is using us to be His hands so that once their bodies are full of physical, life giving water, their hearts might be open to a deeper need for LIVING WATER.