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When I Was Thirsty

August 20th, 2012

Saturday is the day for my long runs.  I’m training to run my first half marathon in November and am following a training plan each week to help me accomplish my goal of finishing.  (I have no visions of speed or any sort of ranking… just survival and finishing well).   About 3/4 of a mile into my run, I came across a church group handing out water.    I was pretty excited because I keep forgetting that I should have water along on these longer runs and I knew that I could use it.  So, I smiled and took the water they cheerfully supplied as I continued running by.    Fast forward about an hour.  I had run my first 6 mile run and was slowing down into a cool down walk.   I was tired , thirsty and a little sore.   As I approached the area where the church group had been handing out water,  I saw that they were still there, but I also knew that they had already given me a water earlier, so I planned to just keep plugging away until I got home.  I even heard one lady say, “Hey we saw her run by here earlier!”.     When I went to keep walking by, they said “Are you thirsty?”  I said “Yes, but you already gave me some water earlier, and thank you!”  But they held out a water for me anyway and said “God Bless You”.     I know, such a little thing … but what a blessing it was!

As a body of believers who desire to represent Jesus … are we offering cold water to the thirsty?  Is it conditional?  When someone needs us do we think, “I’ve already helped you recently””

Last night I was visiting a friend and their child at the hospital.  The little girl was feeling very sick and kept asking her dad for more sips of water, sometimes after he had just put the cup down.  He lovingly gave her a drink whenever she asked.

Jesus never tires of lifting the cup to our lips.  He doesn’t mind our constant thirst, in fact, it pleases His heart that we ask Him and that He can provide for us.

How can we be Jesus to the thirsty today?    Are we inviting Him to satisfy our own thirsty hearts?

Some thoughts on thirst for you this week.

 

 

 




  1. Mark
    August 20th, 2012 at 15:24 | #1

    Stacey, that is so cool that you’re going to run a half marathon! Way to go! If you keep at it, and you want to do another one in 2013, I highly recommend the Bird-in-Hand Half Marathon in early September. It’s a great race, and you get to meet some great Amish people.

  2. stacey
    August 20th, 2012 at 15:26 | #2

    Thanks Mark! That one is on my radar. The one I’m doing in November is OBX. 😀

  3. August 20th, 2012 at 15:34 | #3

    Love this story, Stacey. Thanks for the reminder–it’s sometimes difficult to ask for help, even from God, because we feel we should “pull ourselves up by our bootstraps,” and all that. This is a great way to look at it~and congrats on your first 1/2 marathon! That’s awesome!!

  4. Jesse
    August 20th, 2012 at 16:08 | #4

    At first I thought it said “When I was 30” and I was hoping you would be jogging down memory lane.

    But it turned out to be a nice devotion anyway.

  5. August 20th, 2012 at 16:10 | #5

    i know you can do it.you go stacey

  6. Tiffany
    August 20th, 2012 at 21:26 | #6

    Beautiful reminder of the grace given to us and to pass on to others! Isn’t it such a blessing to remember that God has given us all we have, and that in turn, it’s a blessing to us and Him to show others that same love! The other day I was running ( I too, am in training) and I felt like I just NEEDED to stop. I typically recite encouraging verses at this time but I was just done so I prayed and told Jesus “I will go as far as your grace will carry me”. I kept thinking okay I’ll run one more block but then I would get there and He would tell me that His grace could carry me farther and guess what? I made it the whole way home. Isn’t that so like God… to take us all the way home 🙂 I guess to some it may be silly, but to me it was an incredible time with Him where I realized that His grace is TRULY enough for me and to overflow out of me 🙂 Blessings to you as you journey with God physically, emotionally, and spiritually in your running 🙂

  7. stacey
    August 20th, 2012 at 21:44 | #7

    Thank you for that, Tiffany! So encouraging and so true!!

  8. Heidi Kuipers
    August 26th, 2012 at 17:03 | #8

    Thanks for the challenge Stace!

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