April 19

WATER, WATER EVERYWHERE

           

On the surface, water is not a very exciting substance. It’s so common, after all, that we take it for granted. But as with so many other things in life, there’s more to water than meets the eye. For all its apparent blandness, water is a very powerful substance. It can erode coastlines and mountains, create majestic waterfalls, or merge to make gigantic oceans.

            It sustains all of life; indeed, water’s very common-ness makes it unquestionably essential for life. Bacteria, whales, and many things in between, make their homes in the water. While we humans don’t live in the ocean, we too need water to keep us going.

            But there’s a balance required here: Too little water, and we’ll dehydrate; too much water, and essential minerals may leach out of our bodies; too much water in our lungs, and we’ll drown; get it just right, and we not only survive, but thrive.

            On Earth, water exists naturally in three forms: solid, liquid, and vapor. It’s an inexact analogy, but many people have used water as an illustration of the Trinity: three different forms of water, three different manifestations of God. Indeed, there are some important things they have in common: if we’re not getting enough of either, eventually we’ll feel it; both are very common; and we take its universality for granted many times.

            The big difference, though, is that while we can have too much water, we can’t have too much of the Trinity. The important thing for us is to realize when we have not had enough of the Living Water, to go to the Well of Life, and drink deeply.