How Thirsty Are You?

Just after my 13th birthday my world changed dramatically. I went from being a city boy living in a small two story row home in the heart of Harrisburg, PA to being a country boy living in a much larger house on the shore of a lake in northern York County, PA. It was there in what we affectionately called "the lake house" that I spent my teen years. So as I began to look for employment, one place I found it was on nearby farms. During my years in York County I "made hay," picked strawberries, cleaned out horse stables, and spread manure (I definitely liked doing the first two but the latter two - let's just say with both of them it was "once and done!").

Now out of all my farm experiences, one in particular stands out in my memory. It was a very hot and humid summer afternoon. I was part of a group of teens a local farmer hired to bring bales of hay in from the field and stack in the barn. The farmer divided us into two groups. One group went out in the fields with him to pick up and bring in the hay. The rest of us waited at the barn to unload and stack. I volunteered for the barn group since I thought it would be the easier work of the two. I could not have been more mistaken. If it was 90 degrees outside, it was at least 110 degrees in the barn. Within minutes of beginning our task of unloading and stacking the heavy bales of hay, sweat was dripping off of our faces and soaking our clothing. And as the minutes wore on ... thirst began to set in. By the time we would finish a load (about 20-25 minutes) all I could think about was making a mad dash to the outside faucet to get my fill of water. And let me tell you - with three or four other guys thinking the same thing, it was a MAD DASH to see who could get there first! And if the first guy took too long - we would grab him and pull him out from under the spicket so the next guy could drink! As I look back on that, rarely have I experienced thirst to that degree and intensity.

In Psalm 63:1 King David writes, "O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water." In the same way I was craving water back in that hot and steamy barn - David craved for God! Wow! Is that my experience? All too often I would have to say it is not. I allow too many lessor things to dull my thirst for God. How about YOU? Is this also true of you? Let's ask God today to increase our thirst for Him -- today and everyday!

Thanks for stopping by . . .

pj