Thirsting for Christ...and Not Even Knowing It

I was rushing through my to do list. From one thing to the next, with the kids arrival from school was looming! I was lucky if I had time to shove down a sandwich for lunch.

We were about to leave on a 10-day vacation to Florida, which included a 20-hour car ride with three kids ages 10 and under. We were to spend a week with my in-laws, having fun on the beach with nothing but some relaxing to do. I was packing our family of five to prepare for this getaway. I also was organizing our home because two days after we returned, we were moving. After being in a temporary home while our home was being rebuilt after a fire destroyed it, it was finally time to move home. Additionally, the temporary home was for sale and there were showings and inspections that we had to accommodate while packing.

We felt so blessed to have so many exciting things to look forward to, however, I am sure you can imagine the immense pressure I felt to get everything done before we left… just 48 hours from this moment.

On this day in particular, my normal daily routine was thrown out the window. I was a bit overwhelmed trying to get it all done before the looming deadlines of the kids’ arrival home from school. Throughout the day, I kept feeling moments of thirst. I didn’t realize that I had not eaten or drunk anything while I was running around. I kept moving while thinking, yes, I should go get a glass of water….right after I fold this laundry and put it in the kid’s luggage, or right after one more load of laundry, or right after get back from the store. Of course, the day proceeded and I just grew thirstier.

FINALLY, I could not go on. I had reached my breaking point. I needed water and I needed it now! Do you remember the last time you felt this type of thirst? Maybe it was on a hot day, after an intense workout or a wild day when you didn’t have time to stop and take a drink? When you reach the breaking point, you realize, nothing is as important at that nanosecond than getting some water.

As I was gulping the water that day, I remember thinking… this is how I feel when I have moved away from Christ. I don’t realize it at first, that my daily routine and stresses distract me from spending time with the Lord. Maybe I have let my spiritual life fall through my fingers amidst countless attempts to balance the needs of all those around me and the fires to put out, day in and day out.

As I was working, my body was in constant motion. I did not even know I was getting thirsty. They say that once you feel thirsty, you are already dehydrated.

Isn't that how we sometimes approach our relationship with Christ? We may run through our daily routine, before we hit a snag, a challenge, or a major road block. When a major challenge presents itself, we are reminded to lean on our faith. These challenges are our thirst. Sometimes our challenges are big, and other times, they are small. NO matter what we struggle with, day in and day out, never forget that Christ said, ““If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink.”

When we turn to Christ and seek him to quench our thirst, he never fails us. We may not know we need him. We may not realize we are fallen away, at first. Just like I did not realize how thirsty I was getting during my hectic day.

But in the end, we need water to live. We need Christ to live fully.

Do you know the signs of when your soul is thirty for Christ?

When I lash out at my kids out of frustration or impatience, I know I am not spiritually centered. When I am stressed, overly emotional, or acting selfishly, I know that I am thirsting for Christ.

All of these reminders help me to stop and seek to quench my thirst through Christ. I always have more patience, understanding and peace; and can more easily put things into proper perspective when I have spent some time with my Lord.