A Greater Appreciation of...Water!

With the water table dropping significantly in our area, many people are experiencing water shortages. Some wells have gone dry, forcing them to either pay out thousands of dollars to have the wells dug deeper or to switch to local water companies. Several friends made the change over to a water company only to find rapidly rising costs “on the meter.”

      

Our water comes from a well which was put in by the original owners during in the early eighties. It isn’t a cute little wishing well with a pointy roof constructed over it and a bucket to be let down by a rope, like I had pictured as a “city” girl. Rather, ours is an enclosed steel pipe coming up out of the patio in the backyard, which feeds the water into a pressure tank in the shed. It has always provided sufficient water for our needs.

      

After the ranchland behind our property was sold last spring and construction began on two homes, there were a couple more wells which had to be dug. Suddenly we noticed that whenever a faucet in the house was turned on, water would spurt out. There was air mixing with water in the pipes, which seemed rather alarming. Was our well running dry?

      

 I was constantly reminded of this possibility when doing the laundry, running the dishwasher or even flushing the toilet, by the spurting and gurgling sounds of air mixed with water. Consequently we decided to cut back on water usage as much as possible until we could have someone come out and take a look at it.

      

When Al called our “well and pump service” man, he was told that business is booming and that there won’t be any openings until December. That seems like a very long time to wait, especially if we run out of water. Along with the water from the well, one miner’s inch of water from the nearby ditch is used to help irrigate our outdoor plants. Al suggested that we could use the ditch water in the house if necessary, but that plan was rejected in a hurry!

       

While waiting for word about the well, we are conserving water more than ever. Perhaps the cooler weather and the recent rainfall in the Sierras have helped raise the water table a bit too. The sputtering, spurting faucets seem to be flowing better now, thankfully. They have served as good reminders, however, to conserve and be grateful for what is still available to use.

        

Water…so easily taken for granted, yet such a necessity. The absence of rain, the shortage of water and the drying up of wells remind us of our need to look to God, our provider. As Thanksgiving approaches later this month, may we take the time to thank Him for abundantly meeting our needs—not only physical and material needs, but also for satisfying our inner thirst to know Him and to be with Him forever.

          

Jesus offered “living water” to a Samaritan woman as He sat by a well near her village, knowing that she would find salvation by putting her trust in Him. He made an amazing promise: “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 4:13b-14 NIV

        

After talking to Jesus, she received the living water with joy, running to tell others in her village that she had found the Messiah. Many of them came to hear Him and also believed that Jesus was the “Savior of the world.” This well of living water is still available to all, dear Readers. It will never run dry. Praise the Lord!

“With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.” Isaiah 12:3 NIV 

(published in the Porterville Recorder on Nov. 9, 2013)