Buckle

I couldn't imagine what was so important for me to see in the front yard. But his voice was slightly serious and it was a come see now request! My first thought was, uh oh, what have I done? I do tend to leave things unfinished. But as I joined him at the front door, I saw what he saw... the front brick walk way had buckled and there was a peaked portion of about 10 inches that extended the width of the sidewalk. What happened I asked. He said I guess it is the heat that finally made it buckle. The sidewalk expanded and had no place else to go but up in shambles.

The heat has been extraordinary over this season, for there has been no rain to combat it, nothing to truly and thoroughly saturate a thirsty ground. We can water but even the watering is not enough. We need
relief through God's bounty of rain.

So, how much heat does it take in my life and yours for us to buckle? We all buckle in different ways, some retreat and become isolated, some flare up in anger and frustration, and some of us stand our ground until we finally explode. So where do we find our relief when the stakes get too hot and the situation that is before us is swelling underground? Who can soothe a broken heart, a broken relationship, a blistering pain, or a scorched situation? We can try our best to water it down with busyness, food, exercise, idle thoughts of malice, bad habits, unkind words, and harsh judgement but whatever we do is never enough to satisfy the need for settling down a fretful soul or a pain filled heart. Power and promise
and provision must come from God. He is the only one with resources that can compensate for our seemingly deserted dry-land.

Water is referred so many times in the bible and one of the reasons must be because it is such a universal need that everybody can relate to it. But what Christ offers is not only water but living water.

John 7:38
Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them."

Living water to me represents a never ending reservoir that continually is flowing through us. Good times and times that seem to be laden with drought in our eyes. God has promised us rivers....not just a sprinkle here and there. He gives us the opportunity to be filled with his living water so that we can in turn let that water flow over to others.

I looked at that sidewalk and thought for a minute...this is just a sidewalk, what about the folks who have experienced earthquakes and tornados and such. This buckle is a piece of cake. We are all faced with
hardships and this too is a reminder that no matter what any of us are going through, there is always a worse senario. But what we are dealing with is ours personally, and no matter how small or grand it is Christ is there to provide for all of our needs....and give us His living water to keep us in balance, and to keep us from buckling under pressure.

The verse in context reads as follows:
John 7:37-39
New International Version (NIV)
37 On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, "Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them."[a] 39 By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.

It is through the flowing of the Holy Spirit within us that we generate the power and strength to maintain a stable mindset, in any situation. If we feel like there is a uprising brewing within us, we merely have to ask God to water us down with his spirit of love, of hope, of encouragement, of understanding and of faith. He will faithfully underscore the bubbling desire we have to buckle in frustration and pain and give us what we need to persevere in poised confidence, as we trust in his ways and in his word.

This was a sidewalk uprising...brought on my heat that was simmering and gaining momentum underground. The underground, what we cannot see, is where our bubbling begins. Our thoughts, our perspectives, our inward desires, our motivations, our dreams. But within our souls lie the ever flowing reservoir of living water that can keep us steeped in balance and protected from scorching emotions. May we fill up often on God's living water, His Spirit, that nourishes our soul and protects us from underground worries that cause us to buckle. And May God let his river of peace flow through us in spite of the circumstances that are before us.

Dear Lord, Thank you for the living water that you have made available to all who call on your name. May we draw upon it often and remember that there is a never a time when your well runs dry, it is only when we forget to refill that we find ourselves parched. Amen

Praise God wherever you are or whatever situation He has allowed you to be in . . . His glory will shine through!