The Spring

"In the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens, when no plant of the field was yet in the earth and no herb of the field had yet sprung up - for the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was no one to till the ground; but a stream would rise from the earth, and water the whole face of the ground..."

(Genesis 2:4b-6)

My dad grew up in Montana. "God's country," as they say there. Frequently as a child, we'd drive up to Montana on summer vacation to visit Grandma & Grandpa White. They were true outdoors-people. Grandpa hunted and fished. Grandma tended her garden and also fished. We grandkids got to help in the garden, and even dig up nightcrawlers (worms!) prior to going fishing. And, of course, Grandma & Grandpa took us fishing with them on Daley Lake.

But they were also campers. My grandparents had a campsite that they co-owned along with friends of theirs. They named it "Little Bit 'O Heaven." We went there a few times to camp out and relax. The part that I remember most was the natural spring. It bubbled out to the river that ran alongside their campsite. We'd take our big metal pitcher and fill it up with fresh water to take back and drink (with a metal ladle, of course - how else could you drink fresh spring water?!?). I think it's the only natural spring I've ever seen that actually bubbles up so you can drink it (as opposed to those who open underneath a pond or other watering hole).

As I was reading Genesis 2 today, I read the part about the "stream that would rise from the earth," before God created Adam & Eve. I immediately thought of the freshwater spring (stream!) from Little Bit 'O Heaven. Interesting the the author says before God created, there was this spring that came from underground. Living water. The source of all life. Activity. Present from the very beginning of everything. Is it any wonder that much later Jesus (whom the Gospel of John says was "in the beginning" with God) would declare himself to be "living water."

So... every time I get a glass of fresh water... remember God! Every time I take a shower and are cleansed by water... remember God! Every time it rains and the ground is watered... remember God! God has been providing "living water" for us since the very beginning.

(And praise God for the gift of grandparents... and the blessings they provide!)