I naturally tend to get dehydrated. The tendency isn’t new however getting older, battling stress and frequent lack of sleep has only made the problems associated with not having enough water worse. Ironically there is usually plenty of water around me; I just do not choose to drink enough of it.
They say that by the time you realize that you are thirsty you are already dehydrated. When you are really thirsty you are seriously suffering from a lack of water. I often wonder why we don’t carry or have warning gauges that tell us what we need. Wouldn’t it make sense to know precisely that one is short by x amount? The solution would be obvious, yet I doubt that would change anything fundamentally. I know when I am thirst yet I often do not respond to my senses. I know in advance that I need a minimum amount of water each day yet I find myself struggling to get and consume that amount. I even understand, painfully, what happens when I go without water and sleep, especially when I let the stress get to me, yet I do little to prevent the pain. More often than not I walk through the day with a body that lacks the water it needs to function properly.
Spiritually I know I need God. I need God for fundamental survival, to exist – regular doses to keep my hydrated. In short, glasses of experience throughout the day. Yet I often find myself going without God far longer than it is safe! I have come to realize that knowledge isn’t the key. Neither is fear. Discipline won’t help consistently. Everything that one might come to rely on to stay healthy only puts one’s life more at risk.
The answer comes moment to moment through each and every day. In each moment I must choose. The decision cannot be taken lightly or carelessly. It is a fundamental, life sustaining commitment. And it must be made.
“All who will, come and drink, drink freely of the Water of Life!” (Revelation 22.17)
