Jesus Speaks to Women: His Way!

13 Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, 14 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

Don't you just love it when you get to witness Jesus' love, compassion and PATIENCE?

I am NOT a particularly patient person.  I think my lack of patience comes from my desire to be in control at all times.  Patience involves a glorious amount of waiting.  Waiting implies lack of control. Hence, my irritability in times of waiting and my inability to be patient.  ... sigh... (DEEP sigh)

Waiting also scares me.  There is little else that scares me more than waiting for test results.  I'm around the time when I need to get my thyroid check ups and just thinking about waiting to hear the test results is causing me great anxiety.  I realize, again, the implication/explanation of my emotions stems here also from a deep dislike of not having control over outcomes.  The thing is...any idea of a distant possibility of control is just an illusion.  I. Am. Not. In. Control! It's not about my plan.  It's not my design.  It's not my way.  I just get to experience it.

The Sassy Samaritan woman was very preoccupied with worldly things as well.  She lived on the practical realm, probably neglecting the spiritual side of things.  He encounters this stranger by the well at noon, who is talking about drawing water without the proper tools, implying that he is, somehow greater than Jacob himself!  Crazy stuff!  I mean, she could feel something was "different" about this man, but she couldn't shake the thought that it all sounded like just a bunch of nonsense to her...hence, her sassiness.  Jesus, however, having the ability and the power to strike her dead for her irreverence and unbelieve...exercised a tender patience that only is possible out of His infinite love, desire to teach us how to come to Him, self control and humility of heart.

We are the sassy Samaritan.  Even the most saintly person among us, still doesn't fully get it.  We stand by the Living Water and we are still thinking about satisfying our physical thirst...when it is our spirit which needs satisfied.  We still incessantly look just for regular water, when what we need is the water that He gives us...the water that in us will become the spring which will well up to eternal life!  Only He can provide that water...only when we encounter Him we receive it...only when we let Him lead and be the true Lord of our lives we get to drink it...only when we do it His way we see it springing and welling up.

Life is not like the old song, My Way.  That's one of the hardest lessons I have yet to truly learn: total and complete surrender.  I have to understand that, no matter how hard I try, there is NO way it is my way.  In reality, when the "end is near" nothing would fill my heart with more peace and joy than to be able to sing: "I did it God's Way!"

I pray that the lessons Jesus is teaching us through His encounter with the Samaritan woman reach into the depths of our souls and minds so much so, that we are willing to trust Him enough to surrender completely.  Amen!