Paige- Water Runs Dry

This morning I woke up and it felt like it was my birthday.  I was able to take a shower!  We had been without water since Monday night so you can imagine how excited I was when I turned the knob on the shower and something happened.   I could have cried I was so happy.  I went to sleep last night praying that there would be water in the morning.  I never prayed so hard to take a shower.  I actually don’t think I’ve ever prayed at all to take a shower, but I really needed one.  We lost water for that length of time once before, but for some reason it was more of an inconvenience for me this time around.  I wanted to do laundry, the dishes were piling up, I wanted to flush the toilet without having to fill up a bucket and pour it in the tank, my hands were getting dry from all the hand sanitizer, I just wanted the water to run. 

After I took my shower and thanked God for it, I had to do some self-reflection.  We attended a funeral yesterday for the son of our friend Anitha.  We mourned and prayed with her and her family and I was very thankful that we were able to support them during their loss, but soon after the funeral ended and we were on our way home, we all started asking if the water was back on.  I had to ask myself, “Was it that serious?”  I was pushed just a little bit outside of my comfort zone and I became desperate, while Anitha and her family were dealing with real problems.   The water certainly was not that serious.  So we didn’t have water for over 24 hours, big deal.  The sun still rose, the birds are still chirping, the earth is still rotating—the world hasn’t ended; we are still breathing and healthy.  Then, I pondered the question: “Is the Gospel enough?” When we were in orientation in Botswana we were asked that question often.  During orientation my answer was always an astounding yes, but I am embarrassed to say when the water ran out and I was put to the test, it certainly didn’t look like the Gospel was enough for me.  One lesson I have been learning over and over is to humble myself and be more grateful.  The people here have so little, but they are so sweet and genuine.  They are truly happy and content with what they have. I take a lot of things for granted and whether I have those things or not, the Gospel should always be enough, even when the water runs dry. 

For the Kingdom,

plc