“I’m dying of thirst!”  Well, maybe you really are.  Even if you don’t feel thirsty, your body could already be seriously dehydrated.

What is hydration anyway?  Where did that name come from?  Hydra is the name given to a constellation of stars, actually the largest constellation in the sky.  The name comes from a mythical water serpent.  Therefore, hydration means to be mixed or infused with water.  When we drink enough water, we are hydrated; when we don’t drink enough water, we are de-hydrated. 

I did a little study to discover how important water is to our health and discovered that the body can’t work without it, just as a car can’t run without gas and oil.  In fact, all the cell and organ functions depend on water.  Water makes up more than two thirds of the weight of the human body, and without it humans would die in a few days.  The human brain is made up of 95% water, blood is 82%, and lungs 90%.  That pretty much says it all.  A mere 2% drop in our body’s water supply can trigger signs of dehydration: fuzzy short-term memory, trouble with basic math, and difficulty focusing on smaller print, such as a computer screen.  (If you’re having trouble reading this, reach for your water glass!)  Mild dehydration is also one of the most common causes of daytime fatigue. 

In addition to keeping our bodies working properly, water also plays a key role in preventing disease.  Drinking eight glasses of water a day can decrease the risk of colon cancer by 45%, bladder cancer by 50%, and it can potentially even reduce the risk of breast cancer.  And these are just a few examples!

And do you know the best news about drinking water?  It’s virtually free!  At the time of creation, God made sure that the most important things we would need for existence—air and water—were put here in this world freely all around us.  Besides being virtually cost free, water is virtually taste free.  Industry spends a lot of money marketing drugs that taste good enough to actually be swallowed.  Except for a few areas of the world where certain minerals may affect the taste, water doesn’t offend anyone’s taste buds.

There are places in this world where water is scarce and therefore highly valued.  I once made a trip to the lovely island of Bermuda.  Bermuda is a speck of land in the middle of a large ocean, but it’s a case of “Water, water everywhere, and not a drop to drink.”  The only fresh water on the island comes from the rain and whatever bottled water is shipped in.  Therefore, the government is very careful to harvest every drop of water it can.  All houses and buildings are topped with the same roof construction—a series of white-painted tiles that direct rainfall to a cistern built next to or beneath the building.  With its subtropical location, the rainfall is usually heavy enough to supply all the water needed.  But on Bermuda and in other parts of the world, water is not a commodity to be wasted.

As I think about the necessity of water to life itself, I am reminded of the conversation Jesus had one day with a woman from Samaria.  You can read the story in John 4:6-26.  He told her He had water to offer which, if she drank, she would never thirst again.  Of course He wasn’t referring to H₂O but to something that re-hydrates us down deep at the level of what we are.  We all know from experience that there are times when we feel discouraged and rejected—in other words, just dried out.  The living water Jesus has to offer re-hydrates us emotionally and spiritually.

Water is not just for drinking but also for cleaning.  When our young missionary family landed in Karachi, Pakistan, I noticed that everything seemed to be covered with dust.  They told us it hadn’t rained in two years.  The point is that water not only keeps things alive, it keeps them clean. (Do I need to remind you what we are like when we don’t take a bath!)

How do we get this “water of life” that Jesus promised the woman at the well?  First, we must realize that only Jesus has the water, so we must make Him the center of our lives.  Secondly, we receive this living water by reading His word and talking to Him in prayer.  If we do this consistently, we will find that our discouragement, guilt, and spiritual dryness will be washed away and we will be spiritually hydrated, which brings peace, joy and confidence.  The problems of life may not all disappear at once, but at least we will be able to confront our daily challenges without wilting.

In the Bible (Jeremiah 2:13), God describes His wayward people this way: “For My people have committed two evils: they have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, and hewn themselves cisterns—broken cisterns that can hold no water.”  Are we doing any better today?  Could it be that we sometimes let God’s words of truth slip away from us like water leaking from a broken jar?  God’s living water brings life and health.  It cleans the mind of the poisons of evil and prevents the sickness of sin.  God’s living water heals broken hearts and washes away bitterness and resentment, bringing peace, happiness, and, yes, even health.  When we value His truth, we will gather up every drop and store it carefully to be used and appreciated throughout our life.

In the last book of the Bible (Revelation 22:7), Jesus offers us the invitation: “Come!  And let him who hears say, ‘Come!’  And let him who thirsts come.  And whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.”

Here’s to your health!  Drink up.