Come All Who Are Thirsty

Today, I felt like exploring the concept of desire just a little bit. John Eldredge, a Christian lecturer and author, once said that, “This may come as a surprise to you: Christianity is not an invitation to become a moral person. It is not a program for getting us into line or for reforming society…At its core, Christianity begins with an invitation to desire…Its message is FOR those who hunger and thirst-for those who desire life as it was meant to be.”

One passage from the Bible that really resounds on the topic of desire, this thirst we have, is of the woman at the well. Honestly, her story relates personally to mine. We should have all heard of the Samaritan woman who gave Jesus some water when he was tired. Jesus told her, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” The woman said to Him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.” (John 4:13-15)

This sounds just like the pleasures of the world. We keep longing for something to fill us up and we wrongfully fill ourselves up with things of this world which could never last or fully satisfy. Whether it be us chasing after a body image, chasing after the flesh, chasing “perfection”, chasing monetary success, even chasing an obsession of academic success…it’s all a chasing of the wind. These things can make us happy at certain points in our life, getting an A can make us happy but then we may start struggling in another subject. We may earn a great, big check...but then find out one of our family members is ill and we have to give most of our money away to help them out. We may feel a rush after bringing someone home and giving into sex but then find out we caught something or just feel lowly and guilty of ourselves. These forms of pleasure are FLEETING. In the end, these highs can either simply become stagnant or can unfortunately become valleys.

                We talk about how some of these girls or guys are so thirsty trying to rush into relationships or are trying to” get some”…but they’re just lost. They haven’t found the well of living water; they only know how to drink from the well of this world, of which can never quench their thirst. So, they just keep drinking and drinking every time they run empty. But we must drink from the cup that Jesus hands us. We must fill ourselves with the Holy Spirit. By abiding in His will, we start to want the same things He wants for us…things that can completely satisfy our every need. All those things are found in Him.

                As the passage continues, Jesus asked the woman to call her husband and come back. She said, “I have no husband.” Jesus then said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.” (John 4:16-18)

                THE SHADE you guys haha. But for real, I can totally relate to her! She’s had multiple lovers - multiple people she has tried to fill her up…but she winded up only emptying herself. That’s what sin is. We think sin can make us feel good, we think sin can make us feel whole, we think sin is essentially good for us because it is “natural.” But sin can only TAKE AWAY. Sin is destructive.

                I urge you all, including myself, to stop thinking sin can satisfy. Sin, initially, is so appealing to the eye. But remember – that juicy, glistening apple is only rotten on the inside.

Thirsty? Drink from the most purified Spirit. Fill yourself up with the Holy Spirit.

You may not think much of it, but you DESIRE what is holy. You’ve just been looking in the wrong places. As my book Strong Women, Soft Hearts says, “Exploring the desire of our hearts is not a waste of time. It is precisely the place where God is stirring. It is the golden cord of our connection to God-and to each other.” 

Look at our deepest humanly wants - - - belonging and feeling wanted (being loved)

Ultimately, we desire to be connected to God and be connected with one another as a holy community. <<< To be loved by the Ultimate Lover and be around others who also love Him >>>

-mula sa aking puso, Ginelle Bulanadi