Well or Whirlpool?

A well is hardly glamorous. In fact it’s quite the opposite. Plain, ordinary, cracked. Usually they’re old and made of bricks, baked in the sun, crumbling with time. But a whirlpool, that’s beautiful. Its swirling waters mesmerize onlookers.

Yet looks can be deceiving. A well may appear plain, but it’s deep. It pulls up cool water and refreshes those who come to draw. A whirlpool engulfs any debris that comes into its path.

A well is hardly glamorous. In fact it’s quite the opposite. Plain, ordinary, cracked. Usually they’re old and made of bricks, baked in the sun, crumbling with time. But a whirlpool, that’s beautiful. Its swirling waters mesmerize onlookers.

Yet looks can be deceiving. A well may appear plain, but it’s deep. It pulls up cool water and refreshes those who come to draw. A whirlpool engulfs any debris that comes into its path.

I’m realizing my spiritual life looks a lot like that whirlpool. In the midst of a hectic routine, I suck life from other people. Instead of being a well of fresh water and spiritual encouragement, I take. I erect protective walls. And I neglect others’ needs in an attempt to absorb water for myself.

So what’s the cure? How can we become women who offer fresh water from deep within instead of sucking life out of others? I’m realizing the answer comes in the quiet spaces of our lives. Water flows from waiting upon the Lord.

That old well doesn’t go looking for water but is filled quietly from within. The same is true for us. When we wait upon the Lord, refreshment flows from the Spirit’s work inside us. Such moments melt our need to control and manipulate others and bring rest. Perhaps that’s why Jesus offered the conflicted woman at the well living water (Jn. 4).

So when a broken woman sits down in our office, a wounded friend calls, or an opportunity to share our faith arises, we don’t run. We don’t hide behind our protective barriers. But we offer the living water of God that flows from within.

I stumbled upon the lyrics to this song the other day. And it’s become a daily prayer.

I'm tired, do I have to keep proving myself
I'm weary and drawing from an empty well
I need you more than I ever have
So Jesus come and shatter my darkness somehow

I won't speak until you speak
I won't move until you move me
I won't sing, sing over me
I will wait as long as it takes

(Lyrics by Meredith Andrews; ©2010 Word Entertainment LLC)

May we be women who draw from such a deep realization of who God is and what he’s given us in himself that we offer someone a drink today.