We know what drought is like. We know what is like to see gardens gradually turn brown and die. Farmers worry about their crops and livestock, conscious that their health makes all the difference to their livelihood and the future of their families. Many of us may not become thirsty,but we receive constant media advice on ways of conserving water. On the other hand, an excess of water is equally tragic. Floods also destroy life and hope.
In their loneliness, some people’s hearts are shrivelled and barren for lack of the water of love. We all need to love and be loved. With love, people grow and develop in unimaginable color and texture. Life, however hard, never becomes unmanageable. That is exactly the sort of transformation that Jesus promised the Samaritan woman. He didn’t tell her that she would never again come to the village well to draw water. Instead He offered the new life and hope that can be born of making a fresh start. However many difficulties may fill our days, we will never again face them on our own. Our hearts need not shrivel and die. Instead they can joyfully burst out into a new and everlasting life. All we need is Jesus. His love is the water for which our souls thirst.