Don't Go Without Water

By: Jenifer Metzger

My husband works outside. Outside in the summer in the Midwest means H-O-T. Our temperature has been upper 90°s with heat index well over 100°. Because of the heat, my husband has to prepare his body before going to work by drinking lots of water and Gatorade. Then while at work, he keeps up by drinking a couple Gatorades and 2 gallons of water. When he does this, he handles the heat well.

Last week my family was on vacation. Vacation, of course, means your entire "normal" stops. No routine, no bedtime, no wake up time, and eating tons of food you normally don't. For my husband, it meant enjoy his favorite soda all week and "forgetting" to drinking water. Today was his first day back to work. After work, he arrived home and I saw him sit half in his car, half out. I knew something was wrong. I went out and sure enough, he was dangerously dehydrated and suffering heat exhaustion. If you have never experienced this, let me paint a picture: he was drenched in sweat so badly it literally looked like he jumped in a swimming pool fully dressed; he was cramping so badly that his muscles were locking up which made it impossible to move his shoulder, hands, fingers, and feet; he felt nauseous; he almost blacked out, in fact, at one point driving home he was starting to black out and had to pull over and rest, and he was in pain. It is never a pretty sight.

Our bodies were made for water. For our bodies to function properly, we need water. We must drink water, especially when we are out in the heat. As my husband learned years ago, it is so important that you even prepare before going out in the heat, not just while you're in the heat.

Just as our bodies were made for water, our spirits were made for Living Water. If we go without the Living Water, we will become dangerously dehydrated. Our spirits will weaken.

Every time we miss that drink water, we become a little more dehydrated. Each time we skip church, it makes it easier to skip again. Each time we miss our quiet time, it makes it easier to miss again. Each time we watch a movie or tv show that is inappropriate, it becomes easier to watch again. Each time we say that curse word, it becomes easier to say again. And each time, we become a little more dehydrated.

Don't let yourself become dehydrated. Fill yourself with Living Water, day after day, hour after hour, take in a drink of Jesus.

But whoever drinks from the water

that I will give him will never get

thirsty again. In fact, the water I will

give him will become a well of water

springing up in him for eternal life.

John 4:14

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