Meet me at the well
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
*Marta Vargas
Before gas stations, there was an even better kind of re-filling station. There still is, and this one's free! Will you go?
“...but whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst; the water I shall give will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” (Jn 4:14)
The story of Jesus meeting the woman at the well in John’s Gospel (Jn 4: 1-28) is a great reminder of how there is so much in life we seem to want, to the point we can sometimes be like the woman at the well: looking for happiness in the wrong places while bypassing the fullness of joy that only God offers ... until the moment we encounter the One who alone can satisfy: Jesus Christ, up close and personal.
In a world so chock-full of distractions and propaganda trying to sell us less than the best, we may at times find ourselves buying into the misconception that satisfaction might be found in money, possessions, power, prestige, acceptance, and all those nice yet irrelevant externals. While seemingly attractive at first, the irony is how when we make that the focus of our quest the result is emptiness, and often even a long line of erroneous steps that may lead us down a slippery path — one that not only hurts our relationship with God, but inevitably our relationships with others.
Yet, while all this is happening, Jesus is waiting patiently at the well with great news for us. Day in and day out, he waits for the day we finally get sick and tired of being sick and tired, sick of pointing our fingers outward, and realize that true change begins within, with our own inner transformation, which can only happen in and through his grace.
Once we finally choose to turn to Jesus and allow him into our lives, he fills us with his healing waters, the love and grace from his bottomless well. Then something clicks, something changes, as we begin to experience fullness and peace as only God can give. The results are self-transforming, life-changing and invariably amazing. And they not only transform us and our relationship with God, they also inevitably transform how we relate to those around us.
Even though all this may sound so simple and clear, it is often easier said than done, even for those of us who have experienced this flow of grace and therefore should know better. And yet, ironically, this challenge may actually be good, and the answer may be even better news. Why? Because if it were easy to dip into the wellsprings of grace, we might forget two important things: God is God, and as such, he alone is the source of grace; we, as his people, are his hands and feet on earth.
We are how God’s grace and love become tangible. Another name for a place where we might meet God’s total, unconditional, merciful love is: marriage; family; friends; Church; community. The key word is “might” — because whether we do so or not still depends on us.
So the next time we stumble, fall, find ourselves running in circles and into brick walls wondering, “Lord, how could you still love me after all this?", look at the cross, believe in the love that is there, and take a moment to ask yourself instead: “Lord, how could I reach out to my spouse, my parent, my child to meet them at their well, to remind them that you died for them because you believed in them even when they stopped believing in themselves? How can I be a glimpse of your love that helps them transcend whatever it is that is ailing or challenging them today?”
And don’t let it stop there. Let’s allow that reflection to remind us that our families and inner circles are a beginning, a building block, yet outside of that home nucleus there is a bigger family to reach out to and bless. How can we be that glimpse of love, that glimmer of hope, that source of grace to our friends, pastors, priests, deacons, brothers and sisters in ministry, fellow parishioners, neighbors, co-workers, or the cashier at the grocery store?
And because we cannot give what we don’t have, we must also ask him the question: “Lord, what areas are you calling me to grow in so your light and love can shine, so I may ‘let it begin with me’?”
It all begins at the well, where each day we are continually offered a series of meetings with Jesus. In each meeting, we experience a taste of his grace, a taste of heaven, when we accept his drink, his gift. It gives us a chance to start over again with a new decision to grow closer to him and his magnificent plan for our lives.
May you meet Him at the well today in a very special way, and may the blessings of that special encounter delight and amaze you. Like the Samaritan woman, may we each have a transforming and renewing experience as we are filled (or re-filled) with his living water.
May God’s immense grace, love and mercy, touch and renew us regardless of where we have been, so that may we pass along that hope to others, and all of us together can experience true healing, hope, and glorious new beginnings this Easter and beyond.
Comments from readers
Did I ever need to be reminded to 'begin at the well'. Sometimes it seems like I need to do it all and do it "right now". In the fast paced 'hecticness' of life sometimes it is so easy to loose sight, to get caught up in the doing, and so easy to forget that even if the things we are doing are great and helpful to people, if we forget to refuel, renew and grow with God, and make the time for it, that can in turn have an effect not just on ourselves but on how much we can give (or NOT!). So yes, it does begin at the well, and the more we are willing to look inward and grow in the areas we might need to grow with God's help and grace, then the more God can use us to bless, and the more of us there will be to give not just to our loved ones but to the world beyond. Thanks!
How appropriate and timely... What a gift! Have a blessed feast of Divine Mercy and may you continue to share God's love and hope with others.