Are You Thirsty?

“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.” —John 4:14, NIV

It was a summer Sabbath, and I was at the historic Seventh-day Adventist church in Washington, New Hampshire, United States of America.

We had the morning service and potluck lunch, and I led the afternoon cemetery tour for our group of visitors who had come from all over.

After the tour, some left while others were walking on the Sabbath Trail. I noticed a young backpacking couple reading the marker about the history of the site. The old dirt road in front of the church is part of the fifty-mile Monadnock-Sunapee Greenway Trail that goes between two mountains. It was common for backpackers to pass by.

I approached them, welcomed them, and let them know that although there was no electricity on the site, we did have solar-powered modern bathrooms, and they were welcome to use them. The man replied, “You have modern bathrooms? Does that mean you have a water source?” “Yes, there is water in the bathrooms,” I replied, “and it is safe for washing. But we don’t recommend that you drink it. If you want drinking water, we have that in the foyer of the church and in the pavilion.” The couple exchanged glances and smiled as he replied, “We would love some water to drink!” We went to the foyer of the church, and they both drank deeply. Then he took out an empty canteen and filled it up. That is when I realized they had been out of water. No wonder they looked so tired. I wondered how long they had been hiking without anything to drink. I directed them to the pavilion, where I knew my husband was, and I went about tidying up the church. When it was time to go home, my husband asked me to check the trailhead donation box. He had emptied it earlier but had seen the backpacking couple put something in. Sure enough, there was a single large bill in the box. They had certainly placed a high value on a little bit of water, I mused to myself. As water provides life to our bodies, so Jesus provides everlasting life to all who believe and claim His gift. Just like water to the thirsty, Jesus satisfies our innermost needs.

Marsha Hammond-Brummel