By Rev. Deanna Woodward
Maple Leaf Parish –
United Methodist Churches of Cherry Grove, Fountain,
Preston and Spring Valley
In a book entitled “Becoming a Whole Person in a Broken World,” author Ron Davis tells a story about a mother and daughter who, long ago, were caught in an earthquake in their native Armenia. The 36 story apartment building in which they lived had been reduced to rubble. From top to bottom, ceilings had pancaked onto floors, killing many of their neighbors. But the mother, Susanna, and her four-year-old daughter had been spared – yet buried alive. They were sandwiched in a small gap and pinned to the floor by debris.
For the first few hours of their ordeal, Susanna lay on her back, trying to quiet her daughter’s fears. Uncertain of being rescued, she refused to give up the struggle for life – especially her daughter’s life. Groping for food or water, she found an object of hope: a half-empty jar of fruit jam. With her fingers, she fed the jam to her child. The little one was quiet for awhile, then Susanna heard her weakly plead, “Mama, I’m thirsty.”
There was no water. “Hush,” said Susanna. “Rest. Wait.” Time passed.
Night came, then day, then night again. There was no more food, no water, no help. Her little one became too weak to plead for water, and Susanna did the only thing she could think of. She broke the empty jam jar and used a shard of glass to slit her finger. Then she placed her bleeding finger in her child’s mouth. She repeated this process again and again, sustaining her daughter’s life with her own blood.
After eight days of claustrophobic horror, hunger and thirst, finally Susanna’s husband and other rescue workers clawed their way into the narrow space where Susanna and her daughter were trapped. They had survived their ordeal, and Susanna had kept her little girl alive with the sacrifice of her own blood. This story reminds me of the sacrifice made by Jesus Christ, who shed his blood on the cross that you and I might be saved.
People today are thirsty for many things. We thirst to be valued and to live lives with meaning and purpose. Advertisers know this and try to convince us that happiness and meaning can be found by buying their products. They say, “If you love her, this diamond will prove it,” or “Fulfillment can be found in this car, this diet plan, this dress, this vacation, this cosmetic cream or this medication.” We are thirsty to be adored, thin, powerful, exciting, athletic and young. But we find that none of these attributes or material things can completely satisfy us. In fact, they can leave us thirstier than before because they promise more than they can deliver.
We are all acquainted with physical thirst. Many of us carry around water bottles. Our bodies are made up largely of water and need water to function. But deprive your soul of spiritual water and your soul will tell you also. As we read in Psalm 42, “As a deer longs for flowing streams, so my soul longs for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.” We don’t have to live with dehydrated souls. We don’t have to wander in a spiritual desert, or live as though we are trapped with no means of rescue. Drink deeply and often of the only water that can satisfy our spiritual thirst – Jesus Christ, the water of life.