No Holding Back
Sunday afternoon I went to a local park with a water play area. The water comes from every possible direction. Colorful buckets fill up quickly and tip out overhead. A gentle mist comes from a frog's mouth. Machine guns filled with water blast you right in the face. The fountain in the middle squirts left and right and up and down and all around. Children were everywhere experiencing all the wetness. I sat on the sidelines and simply observed.
My four grandsons and some of their friends were with me. The older boys walked around the edge and barely got their feet wet. Clay is thirteen now and running through the fountain is no longer the cool thing to do I suppose. Hunter who is ten didn't get soaked. His main goal was to man the water gun and blast his friend in the face That was the macho thing to do I suppose. He liked to try and control the power of the water. John who is seven ran under the tipping buckets over and over. His goal was to time his run just right to miss the downpour. He liked to experience the thrill of the water without letting it drench him. Cayden who is five stayed close to the frog who spit out a gentle mist. I think his plan was to get just enough water to cool off.
In the middle of watching children as well as adults different approaches to getting wet and not getting wet, the sky grew dark, and suddenly there was a downpour from overhead, It was if God decided to fill His buckets and tip them over on everyone. I, who simply had planned to sit and observe, did get wet. God has a way of changing our plans, doesn't He?
The rain lasted for only a few minutes, just a summer shower, even though it isn't officially Summer yet. The play area which had emptied out some during the shower soon refilled just as quickly as those tipping buckets. I once again resumed my sitting and observing, avoiding the water even though I was now soaked. The kids were all soaked as well even the ones who had attempted to be cool and dry.
As we were getting ready to head for home I noticed one dry tiny little girl approaching the water. She was barely walking, probably not even a year old yet, but she was intent on reaching her destination..... the water. There was no fear in her. No inhibitions. She was not worried about being cool. She wasn't worried about friends or power or getting a planned thrill. She was just going to get wet. She ran just as fast as her tiny legs would carry her toward the water with her mouth open and her arms stretched high. The little girl wanted to soak up every single drop. Her only intention was to get soaking wet.
As we all loaded up in the car to go home. As the wet children complained and whined about who was in their spot, who got their soaked towel wet, and who was touching and /or breathing on who, I thought of the little girl who had run to the water. I imagined her happy and wet probably taking a nap sleeping peacefully and contented in her car seat on the way home.
How many of us Christians are avoiding the Water? Do we just barely get our feet wet because we want to be cool? Do we give our friends a little blast of Water, but not get wet ourselves? Are we so naive to believe we can control the power of the Water? Do we try to control just how wet we want to be? A little wetness is ok, but we do not want to be drenched. Are we ok with just a mist? And of course the main question here, how many just sat on the sidelines observing the Water?
Did God not tell us to come to Him as little children?
Luke 18:16 But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.
May we all run to the Living Water just as that little girl ran to the fountain of water.
We for too long have forsaken the Fountain because of our fears and inhibitions.
Jeremiah 2:13 For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.
We can do nothing on our own.
There is no power greater than the Power we can receive from the Living Water.
John 1:2 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.
We must get to the Water and get wet. May we each soak up every available Drop. After we soak it in, it will flow out, kind of like those buckets that fill and tip over.
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John 7:38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water
If we aren't afraid to get absolutely soaking wet from head to toe now, one day we will be happily running and playing in a peaceful river filled with the water of life forever and ever.
Revelations 22:1 And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.
May we not hold back. Let's go get wet, shall we?