Written By: Kari Dickson

“You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink.” Have you heard this saying before? It’s been around since the 12th century, so chances are you have. I heard this adage often growing up. I don’t know if that is because I am from Wyoming or it’s just an age old truth. It is just that, though; an age old truth! I’m sure growing up I rolled my eyes at this adage in the context it was used. It was probably ushered out of my parents’ lips, mainly my dad’s (he loves sayings), when I was making a wrong choice in something they had already shown me how to make the right choice in. 

My parents understood they could only live out the right example in front of me and teach me the right things the best they knew how. I have to say, they did a pretty great job at that too! BUT they realized they couldn’t force me into making the right choice as I got older. It was then that natural consequences began to take their course in my relationships, my schooling, jobs and my finances (or the lack there of) as I turned from what had been taught to me to what I thought was best. You see, I’ve always struggled with control, but I didn’t see that until I had many years of failing. I walked through my teens and into my adult life having a very ambitious attitude that “I knew what I was doing”. I decided I was capable enough and experienced enough to pave, well…my own way. Were you that way? 

It took me a while to see that God wasn’t displeased with my ambitious heart or my bold spirit.  He was displeased when I used them for selfish gain or for a purpose outside of what He made them for. He made me this way for my good and His glory. It’s the “my good” part that most of us get hung up on. It’s comical now, 20 years later. I would love to tell you I learned mostly from others’ mistakes in the sense of control, but I didn’t. I learned by failing. Failing hard. 

You see, instead of just being the obedient horse and drinking the water the way my parents taught me to, I decided how I was going to drink it, when I was going to drink it, and where I was going to drink it before I even took a sip. It wasn’t long before I became dehydrated and started to die. Meanwhile, there are these other happy horses that I see drinking water. These horses stay filled and frolicked in the pastures with energy. What was in the water that made the difference? Why couldn’t I sustain myself? Why was the result of not drinking the water death? Simply put, that’s the way God designed it. 

He designed us in a way that without water, “living water”, we die. We can go a lot longer without food. But without water, it’s only a few days. As I began to drink of God’s living water, it was clear what I had been missing. But did you know there were still times I wandered off back into the pasture thinking I had my fill, I had enough, only to find myself dehydrated once again, wandering through dark, desolate places. It’s only when I’m continuously drinking that I enjoy the day, I enjoy the pasture. When we are fully hydrated, the sun doesn’t scorch us or make us weary, but it gives us life. A fullness to enjoy all things, not just joy momentarily. I’ve noticed so much how He uses every part of what He has created to point us to Himself. Reminders that we can’t do this life without Him. There are four essential elements for a horse to live: water, food, air and sunlight. As God dropped this whole picture of the horse in my spirit, I began to see how these elements are critical in every living beings’ life. You can last a little longer without some of those elements than others, but eliminating just one all together always leads to death. I began to see this in such a new light. It’s how the Trinity and God’s Word work in perfect harmony to keep us living. You can try going without one of them, but you’ll start to lose nourishment, strength, confidence, will power, and soon, find yourself spiritually dead.

You have probably heard the verse “Man cannot live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God”. It is most often times recognized as a quote by Jesus in Matthew but Jesus quoted it from Deuteronomy 8:3. I’m not the first to think I have it all figured out and to detach myself from the life source of living water, even though every good thing that has been given was from that life source. The Israelites wandered in that way of thinking for 40 years. God had to teach them, once again, that they too needed to make Him their source of life to enjoy the pleasures of life to the fullest. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to wander for 40 years to figure that out.

This is the basic truth: God is the source of life.

Are you fully hydrating yourself with the source of life? Or are you dehydrated? Are you giving your body what it needs to fully enjoy the splendor of the pastures, the sun, the sunsets and sunrises? Come drink the water, and drink daily.

Call to Action: Choose one of the 4 gospels and commit a time each day to read at least a chapter until it is done. Then choose what book to read next and repeat.

Scripture to Read:

“A woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, ‘Give me a drink.’ (For his disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.) The Samaritan woman said to him, ‘How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?’ (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.)  Jesus answered her, ‘If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.’ The woman said to him, ‘Sir, you have nothing to draw water with, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob? He gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and his livestock.’ Jesus said to her, ‘Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.’ The woman said to him, ‘Sir, give me this water, so that I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water.’” John 4:7-15

Prayer:
Lord, help me to make You my source of life in all circumstances. Help me to bury my head in Your Word to get to know You more intimately. I thank You for nourishing me and providing everything I need to enjoy this life to the fullest. Help me trust You when I don't know how things are going to turn out. Thank You that I never have to wonder if You are enough. You are the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Thank You for never giving up on me. Amen.

Written by Kari Dickson