THE GIFT OF PRESENCE (1 OF 3)
Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 2:7-8
This content is part of a series.
Title: The Gift Of Presence (1 of 3)
Series: Freely
Author: Dave Gustavsen
Text: 1 Thessalonians 2:7-8
Once upon a time there was an old well that stood outside of a family farmhouse in New Hampshire. Everybody loved drinking from that well, because the water was always cold, and always fresh. Even on the hottest summer days, and even during droughts, that well never dried up, and people used it every day. So it stood there for years, until eventually the farmhouse was modernized. They brought in electricity, and they brought in indoor plumbing, so you could now get your water right out of the faucet. The old well was no longer needed, so they sealed the top shut.
Years went by. One of the kids who had grown up in the house was now the owner of the house. And one day his kids asked him about the well, and he told them how amazing the water was. And his kids said, "Dad-let's try some." And the dad was in a nostalgic mood, so he pried off the cover, and he lowered the bucket. Memories came rushing back. But then he heard a clunk. He couldn't believe it-because this well had survived the most severe droughts-but it was bone dry now. He couldn't understand it, so he started asking some of the older folks who knew about these things. And here's what he learned: wells in that area were fed by hundreds of tiny, underground trickles of water, called rivulets, that would steadily seep water into the well. And as long as water was regularly drawn out of the well, those little rivulets would remain open and new water would keep flowing in. But when the water in the well just sits, the rivulets clog up with mud and the flow just stops. And the man realized that the well dried up not because it was used too much, but because it wasn't used enough.
I adapted that story from a book by John Sanford called The Kingdom Within. And I think it's a great picture of our souls. All of us know what it's like to feel empty, don't we? Depleted; dry; spiritually and emotionally ...
Series: Freely
Author: Dave Gustavsen
Text: 1 Thessalonians 2:7-8
Once upon a time there was an old well that stood outside of a family farmhouse in New Hampshire. Everybody loved drinking from that well, because the water was always cold, and always fresh. Even on the hottest summer days, and even during droughts, that well never dried up, and people used it every day. So it stood there for years, until eventually the farmhouse was modernized. They brought in electricity, and they brought in indoor plumbing, so you could now get your water right out of the faucet. The old well was no longer needed, so they sealed the top shut.
Years went by. One of the kids who had grown up in the house was now the owner of the house. And one day his kids asked him about the well, and he told them how amazing the water was. And his kids said, "Dad-let's try some." And the dad was in a nostalgic mood, so he pried off the cover, and he lowered the bucket. Memories came rushing back. But then he heard a clunk. He couldn't believe it-because this well had survived the most severe droughts-but it was bone dry now. He couldn't understand it, so he started asking some of the older folks who knew about these things. And here's what he learned: wells in that area were fed by hundreds of tiny, underground trickles of water, called rivulets, that would steadily seep water into the well. And as long as water was regularly drawn out of the well, those little rivulets would remain open and new water would keep flowing in. But when the water in the well just sits, the rivulets clog up with mud and the flow just stops. And the man realized that the well dried up not because it was used too much, but because it wasn't used enough.
I adapted that story from a book by John Sanford called The Kingdom Within. And I think it's a great picture of our souls. All of us know what it's like to feel empty, don't we? Depleted; dry; spiritually and emotionally ...
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