“Jesus answered, ‘Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 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.”
John 4:13, 14
To most Americans, clean running water is often overlooked as a blessing. Here are a few facts to give us a better perspective on the need for water worldwide.
- 3.575 million people die each year from water-related disease. (1)
- 98% of water-related deaths occur in the developing world. (1)
- 884 million people, lack access to safe water supplies, approximately one in eight people. (2)
As you probably know, many organizations have been created in order to travel through the developing world and drill new wells to provide clean water for villages. Although we could certainly send cases of Aquafina around the world… instead it is a much better idea to drill for new, clean water sources that will provide water for years to come!
Jesus uses an analogy in the Gospel of John about providing water that will quench our thirst forever. As athletes, we understand thirst a little better than most people. I never knew what thirst was until I was given a water break after two-a-day practices or track conditioning. In those times of thirst, nothing could satisfy like cold, clean water. Jesus tells us, through his water analogy, that he offers us something that will completely satisfy all our needs and desires.
My challenge this week is to think about the things in our lives that we use to fill ourselves up. Are we grabbing for an Aquafina every time we feel lonely and defeated or is there a well deep within us that satisfies all our needs.
- Matt
1. World Health Organization. 2008. Safer Water, Better Health: Costs, benefits, and sustainability of interventions to protect and promote health.
2. UNICEF/WHO. 2008. Progress on Drinking Water and Sanitation: Special Focus on Sanitation.
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