Water to Soothe the Soul

Sidney Lanier Bridge as Viewed from I-95 North

April 2011

John 4:13-14 NIV

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."

“Girls, go down to the spring and bring us some water. We could use a drink of cold water right now.”

We were near Corbin, Kentucky, at a time when “Take me Home, Country Roads,” by John Denver, played on every radio station.  We’d left the blistering summer sidewalks of the city for the cool breezes of the country.

Our friends, the Eatons, were building their A-frame cabin in the woods with the help of friends and family. We children had been running errands for the men all morning collecting tools and carrying wood, and now we were sent in search of the fresh-water spring just a short walk down a beaten trail through the thicket.

I loved the trek to the spring. I know there were critters in the woods I probably didn’t want to see, but after working hard in the sun, ducking into the underbrush and cooling off five degrees felt wonderful.

We hopped down the path until we ended up at a shale slab. The stone was flat and angled down and up into a shallow bowl, creating a natural basin in the earth. We had to carefully clear away the top level of leaves from the spring so we didn’t disturb the silt that settled on the bottom. If we stirred too hard, then we had to wait several minutes for the tempest we had created to clear away before we could dip water.

The water was light, sweet and cool. I know it seems hard to believe that water had a texture and flavor, but it felt like drinking sunshine. It was the loveliest water I have ever sipped.

It not only refreshed but it also energized us.

When I read about women pulling water out of wells in the Bible, I often wonder what the water tasted like. Was it energizing as well as refreshing?  Was it like drinking sunshine?

Imagine the water in the Garden of Eden. I bet the natural springs there were de-light-ful. (No pun intended!) :)

As an English major, I’ve been taught water is symbolic of rebirth and new life, for example as it is used in baptism. The sweet water in Kentucky brought energy to all of us who had the joy of tasting it.

When I think of some of the ways water is referred to in the Bible, I recall some significant images: the flood, the parting of the Red Sea, the baptism of Jesus, the changing water to wine, and the discussion Jesus had with the Samaritan woman at the well.

Water is an important part of our physical lives, and it also plays a symbolic role spiritually. 

In other words:  Water is not only good for the body, but it’s also good for the soul.

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Thank you, Lord, for your spiritual waters.