But that day, the day He met me at the well, He let me taste the living water and washed me of my shame. He told me of my past. He spoke of things only He could have known about me. Some of it I didn’t even know about myself. He did not make me feel ashamed, only hopeful that He wanted to do a new thing. He wanted to give me the water that would become a spring welling up to eternal life.

Now, I celebrate, not the woman at the well, but the woman who left the well a transformed person. If I had known about living water, maybe I would have asked Jesus for a drink first, but instead, He pursued me. I went to the well. He was there waiting for me. I can never repay His grace and mercy for meeting me at the well that day. I do what I do because I truly love Him. I’m sometimes surprised by how much I love Him, and sometimes don’t think I love Him enough. I do know He loves me more than I love Him. It is because of that love that He found me. Alone. At the well.

Jesus doesn’t need me. He wants me. He makes my life a stream of living water. This stream never runs dry. I never have to revisit the well. I am not thirsty anymore. Instead of crying tears of shame, my tears have turned to joy. Thank you Jesus for caring enough to go to the well that day.

“Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.” John 4:10 (NKJ)

Me (thinking): “I’d like for you to stop calling me ma’am in Starbucks, you punk! You’re making me look old!”

I’ve been seeing her standing on the sidewalk near my favorite Starbucks in the mornings when I stop to get my coffee. Usually, I just drive on by pretending not to notice her. Why? Because she is carrying a bag of papers that says, “Homeless Newspaper”. Mind you, I’m not ignoring her because she’s selling papers. I’m ignoring her because day after day, I forget to put the dollar in my purse, so that I can purchase her paper.

Today, I went to my favorite Starbucks. Not to get coffee, but to buy the paper. I gathered two quarters and five dimes as I walked out the door, determined to buy this paper and see what it was all about.

It is the best newspaper I have ever read. The articles are written with compassion, backed up by statistics and research dealing with the issue of homelessness. They are written by scholars, advocates, prisoners, homeless, rich, and poor. Different perspectives on humanity, particularly issues surrounding the homeless and oppressed are explored. And I mean explored!  The stories are written by those who are experiencing hard life, and learning something from it. Something that needs to be shared.  The paper has recipes, a crossword puzzle, and other fun stuff; each one submitted by someone who is or was homeless.

It is a must read.

The paper is called The Contributor. It is sold by people who were once homeless, and now make money selling it. They can make extra money writing, submitting pictures, etc. and they adhere to a code of ethics.  

As you travel about town, look carefully and you will see people like the lady above, donned in green vests, standing patiently on sidewalks carrying a heavy load. One dollar lightens it a little. The paper has a website, but I’ve left it out of the post for a reason. I want you to buy a paper. And while you are at it, say hello to the “vendor”; the faceless person that takes your dollar. The next time I buy one, I promise, I will put a face to her. 

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Matthew 5:5 NIV

Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.

If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

So do not worry, saying, “What shall we eat?” or “What shall we drink?” or “What shall we wear?” For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.

But seek first His kingdom, and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Matthew 6: 28-33 NIV

                                                                                                                                                                Photos by Susan M. West

Repetition bores me. Doing the same thing on a regular basis makes the activity seem tedious. Listening to the same message, though maybe in different words, takes the significance out of the meaning. Hearing the same story with the names changed lessens the integrity of the story. Even eating the same foods, walking the same route, or drinking the same flavor of coffee often sends me on a quest for difference.

I never get bored with God’s Word.  The precious scriptures take on new meanings as we travel through our earthly lives. What is relevant at one point may not be so relevant at another time of our life, but there is a new message always awaiting us. The message never really changes, but the timeless meanings speak in different ways depending on what we are experiencing in our lives.

Are you finding special meanings in God’s Word? Are you searching for His answers to your life’s problems?

“But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Faither, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” Matthew 6:6

INTERACTIVE ACTIVITY: Go to a quiet room and close the door. Spend 15 minutes praying to your Father in heaven. Talk to Him like He is there with you. He is. He is just “unseen”.

                                    Softly I listen

                                    Softly You speak

                                    Softly You hear

                                    Whispers at midnight

                                    Ring through my soul

                                    Softly You follow

                                    This heart

                                    to the end of its pleading.

                                    Cries sound like thunder

                                    In the candle lit nigh

                                    My voice yet on fire

                                    Calling into the sky

                                    Praising my savior

                                    For all He has done

                                    Soothing my spirit, as one with the Son.

                                    Softly You sing to me

                                    From heaven above.

                                    Softly I listen

                                    Your tune bathed in love

                                    Softly I speak to You

                                    Pleading my case

                                    Softly I hear Your voice

                                    As I look for Your face.

                                    Softly

                                    Into the night

                                    I slumber

                                    Another day.  Done.

                                                                         (by Susan M. West)

The most important aspect of the imaginary scenes wasn’t the talent I presumed myself to have, but the interview. All I wanted to do was to be interviewed by Johnny Carson-that would be Jay Leno, Conan O’Brien, or David Letterman today.

As I grew into adulthood, I longed to be famous. Since I had no talent, I hitched myself to a Southern rock band that toured around the state and found myself a husband. He didn’t perform in the band, but ran sound and lights, so I went everywhere he did and felt important.

I continued this quest for importance throughout my divorce, the birth of my babies, another failed long-term relationship, and years of just getting by. All the while, never developing any talents, never making headlines, and of course, never being interviewed by a famous talk show host.

A most recent endeavor to gain importance is that I have started a nonprofit agency that teaches adults computer competencies, among other workforce skills. Three days ago, I was reading a book on how to write a good nonprofit newsletter, when I came across these words: Everyone wants to feel important.

Upon the reading of those five words, my life flashed before my eyes. They explained why I had been at it all my life- the quest for wanting things I could never have, the quest for talents I didn’t possess, the quest for importance. And that’s when it stopped. I saw my life the way it is.

I saw that I am important to my

• Children: they depend on me for almost everything
• Dogs: especially this cold winter
• Co-workers: the work I do is used to gain dollars
• Local grocery store: the food I buy pays salaries
• Parents: they have memories of my pre-Karaoke performances
• Church: I volunteer, tithe, and attend
• Local mall: shopping is one of my hobbies

OK, so I’m sure you get now. I won’t bore you with the remainder of the many reasons I am important. The important thing is that I know it now. My quest is officially over. From this moment on, I leave the talk show interviews to the Kardashians and Snookies of this world. I will no longer fret over talents I don’t have, or albums I didn’t make. I will remember that in my little part of the world, in my own little way, I am important to those who are important to me.

What about you? Have you realized your importance in your world?

“For you created my intermost being: you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made: your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” Psalm 139: 14-15

In those days, a man had to serve the father of the woman he wanted to marry. In Jacob’s case, he served seven years before he could ask for Rachel’s hand in marriage. Yet, we are told that it seemed like only a few days because he loved her so much.

How often does serving our loved ones seem like the love Jacob had for Rachel? Many times, making dinner for our husband or breakfast for our kids can seem like drudgery. Taking care of those we love is often done repetively, carelessly, and without emotion. We grow weary of working so hard, often with little reward or appreciation.

Our culture is consumed with service to others. We are constantly told we should make a difference in our communities and the world around us. Granted, it is good to volunteer and change things, but are we openly caring for the stranger on the street more than our own families and households?

And what about our service to God? We who love Him want to serve Him and carry out His will. Unfortunately, we often perform our service as an act of duty, rather than love. Does God want us to perform chores for Him, or would He rather us be in love with Him, serving Him and others with compassion and grace.

In this new year, I am challenged to love as Jacob did- to serve my family and my Savior with zeal and enthusiasm. Though my service to them may last fewer than or more than seven years,  may I be so in love with them that it seems like only days. What about you? Who do you need to love to serve?

1. Not everyone sees things the way I do.
2. There can be more than one way to do something right.
3. The good classes are not the easy ones.
4. The good professors are not the easy ones.
5. Things I do affect other people.
6. Grades are not the only things that matter.
7. Grades do matter.
8. It’s OK to take breaks.
9. If you want answers, you have to ask questions.
10. Hard work gets rewarded…sometimes.