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24 Mar 2014

Journey to the never-dried-up well #5 ~ rest that reinvigorates

I was away in Beijing this past week. I heard it rained in Singapore - finally, after more than two months; our longest dry spell in fifty years.
The grass had begun to turn brown, trees were going bare. Life was threatened, a frightful prospect of our proud garden city being licked by the dust as the sky remain cloudless.... until - the rain came - and the life that still pulses beneath the ground bursts forth and things began to green again.

Like the grass and leaves all about us.. life can cause us to turn dry and dull, and even risk going lifeless -


-we come to the never dried-up Well and let the Water reach deep inside of us and help us unfold, loosen, and come to life again. The Water that refreshes deep so that parts of us that may have given up or been handed over to ‘that’s the way it will be’ are quickened and we stretch toward the sun again. Has the Water started
pouring down
swirling all about
on this journey....

Word & Truth

Perhaps you felt the Water’s gentle healing presence began to refresh you right when we started out on this journey; when the Word was –

“... for it is God who works to will and to do… “ ~ Phil 2v13

The truth that God Almighty works within us His children to lean towards His will and act out of love… This has certainly encouraged me to have more confidence and to step back and trust God.

Or perhaps you felt the Water when you stopped in your tracks, looked to Jesus and began to simply say, “I am thirsty, Lord..”

"If you knew ... who it is who says to you, 'Give me a drink', you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water...." ~ Jesus at a well, John 4 [NASB]

As I lap up the Water, my hungers and fears become stilled and it seems my life is saved again.

Or did you experience the Water through this amazing promise –

Are you tired? Worn out?
all you who are struggling hard and carrying heavy loads,
and I will give you rest
for I am gentle and humble in heart,
and you will find rest for your souls ~ Jesus looking at the people, Matthew 11v28-29

It’s beyond our figuring out; but O how we want it to be so: rest - for - our - souls.

Did you have a deeply personal moment when your life story began to fill with colour as Jesus held you and said, “I know your life.”

"Come see a man who told me all the things that I have done, this is not the Christ is it?"
~ woman’s response after chat with Jesus, John 4v29

My truth

As I walk this journey just a step or two ahead, I sense Jesus’ heart for us.
He is the Water the refreshes our lives.
He offers the Rest that can dramatically redefine our lives: imagine finding a load and a yoke that is fitted for you. It is a load and a yoke – you and I will still find it tough and be constrained; but o how it fits!

Today I stop at this point and linger over this astounding thought.

What yoke and burden do you need to cast off?
What have you avoided out of fear?

What if Jesus were to say,
“everything in your life, I know, and it’s going to be alright. I will refresh you and reinvigorate your life. I will be the Source in you that springs forth…”

more truth with community
Will you share your story with us here? Our stories, just like the stories in the Bible are testaments that point to God’s truth, beauty, greatness and eternal purpose.

One of the best moments I had in Beijing was being at a women’s conference. Our theme was ‘God’s story, Our story, my story’. ‘
Our individual stories are unique, yet often we can empathize and help carry each other’s burdens because there are common elements. All our stories weave and map together, and make sense when it is seen against the larger backdrop of God’s story of love for humankind.

We need to know that our lives are not random, senseless and pointless. It is not. In fact, your life, your story matter to God enough for him to step in!

So let’s share our stories and help each other remember we are part of something larger . and . eternal.