Anyone reading this who knows me won’t be surprised to learn that my answer to that question is usually a nice cup of tea. But sometimes I’m not in the mood for tea: if it’s really hot, I might fancy a lemonade, or if it’s really cold perhaps a hot chocolate.

Different drinks suit different occasions and some drinks are better for us than others. On Sunday we heard a story from John 4:5-42 about a Samaritan woman who encounters Jesus at a well. She was thirsty but her thirst was a different kind of thirst, that couldn’t be satisfied simply with water. She was spiritually thirsty, though she may not have been able to name it as such. But Jesus knew straight away…he knew all about her…he knew that her thirst needed to be quenched by something more than she could manage on her own. Jesus offered her living water and it changed her life…I wonder what drink Jesus would offer us?

Sometimes we are determined to choose our own drinks, even if our thirst is a deep longing inside us for something more, or needing a sense of purpose, a longing for this earthly life to not be the whole picture, or a deep desire to know we are loved no matter what. Sometimes we decide to try and quench that spiritual thirst with other things. We decide that the longing for something more can be met by getting more money or possessions. Perhaps we respond to our need for purpose by pouring ourselves wholeheartedly into achieving success and recognition. Or we satisfy our need to be loved by surrounding ourselves with people who will tell us they love us. None of these things are wrong in and of themselves…but the problems come when we rely on them to do a job only Jesus can do.

Perhaps this week you might take some time as the kettle boils to do some pondering. As you pour your hot water into your mug, perhaps you can consider the question, ‘what do I try and quench my spiritual thirst with?’ Perhaps it’s something from my list above, or perhaps it’s something totally different. Ask God to reveal to you what you are tempted to rely on rather than relying on him to quench your spiritual thirst. Only when we know what we’ve filled our metaphorical cups with can we earnestly empty them out to create space for Jesus’ living water.
Jesus describes the living water he gives as becoming a source in a person’s life – it is living because it becomes the spring from which everything else flows. What role do we allow the Holy Spirit to have in our lives? Is the Holy Spirit the source from which all our thoughts and actions flow? If you want this living water in your life, why not take some time this week to pray and ask God for a fresh infilling of His Holy Spirit.

Rev Emma