The snow has melted and sent its stored water into the ground, into the creeks, and along its way. From the ground, the water will encourage seeds to transform into plants. It will provide moisture to the microbes and worms and creatures that live in the soil. The water that seeps into roots will travel into stems, up stalks, out branches, and into leaves and flowers and berries.

The melted snow that flows into creeks will gather into rivers from which animals can drink. Fish will thrive in these waters and animals will feast on them. As the waters gather, some will be diverted to supply our thirst, power our homes and machinery, and irrigate distant crops. Abundant water flows into the oceans that cover the earth.

Warmer temperatures will heat the collected water into the air forming clouds that winds will carry to parched areas, sharing this stored water with others.

Water is rarely stagnant, rarely stays in one form for long. Remembers those drawings from grade school about rain and evaporation? One of the wonders of water is that it is continually giving itself to the next need. Whether it is moisture for dry ground, sap for a tree, water for a deer, habitat for fish, or rain for distant plains, water is always giving.

Perhaps all of God’s gifts are like that. Perhaps everything is supposed to flow.

I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. Genesis 12:3.

What if we saw every gift sent our way as a gift meant to be shared with the next one in line? Our time, our resources, our abilities, the family and nation into which we were born, our experiences, the lessons we learn, all of everything – given to us not just for our benefit or learning, but to be shared with others; to flow from us into the larger world.

And let the one who believes in me drink. As the scripture has said, ‘Out of the believer’s heart shall flow rivers of living water.’ John 7:38.

I spent the last week in San Antonio, Texas. The largest mission there, Mission San Jose, was started by a monk who had spent the previous forty-three years of his life walking throughout Central America, Louisiana, and Texas sharing the gospel with whomever he found. Can you imagine? That seems an undoable task now. Imagine what is was like in the late sixteen hundreds. He referred to himself as “la misma nada,” nothing itself. Signed his letters that way.

The purpose of the missions has fallen out of favor in the anti-imperialistic, multi-cultural world of today, but this man, and many others like him, gave everything, every part of their life, to water the world with God’s love.

Sometimes, I hesitate to bring up God around people I don’t know well. Perhaps I am hoarding my blessing instead of sharing it.

God’s love, God’s passion for people, His willingness to join with us and care for us and forgive us and embrace us – this is Good News, my friend. This is an unimaginable gift. This is bigger than the most important person you can imagine calling you on the phone and inviting you to dinner. This is GOD, the creator of the universe, Lord of heaven’s armies, giver of all life, meeting with you in your den. And bringing the wine.

People need to know how much God loves them. We can let them know by passing on God’s love for us to them. We can share every gift we have with them. We can love others as God has loved us – with everything we have. We don’t have to walk for forty-three years to do it.

Perhaps the first step is to admit that we are nothing without God. God gave us everything we have, made us in our mother’s womb, and gave us breath. We are loved so that we will love others.

Let the water flow.

Love in Christ, Betsy