Power and Water

Power outages are becoming more and more common and lasting longer and longer. For country dwellers, lack of electric power to run our well pump means no water. Yes, we have bottled water available for purchase so our drinking supply is limited only by our dollars, but daily showers don’t happen. Healthy hand washing becomes burdensome at best. Worst of all, toilets don’t flush without water, so we walk or drive to get water and bring it home. After four days, I’m ready to move to a hotel where the electricity works and water is plentiful.
Four days without water, and the plight of those around the world who walk several kilometers to the nearest well for a bucket of water, begins to take on some reality for me. Not just for a few days till the power is restored, but every day of their lives, they are limited to the water in that bucket. The blessing of water, to drink, to wash, to clear away our human waste is beyond measure. Regardless of the trouble and pain that invade our lives, we can be grateful that we have easy access to clean healthy water.
We can derive two “learnings” from that gratitude. First, we need to care for our precious water. At times it feels as if environmentalists are brow beating us with the message – conserve water – care for it – don’t waste it. These last two power outages have jerked me out of my apathy. I need to listen to their wisdom.
Second, God calls us to share our blessings with those who have none. We can and must support nongovernmental organizations that dig wells in far off countries.
Yes, this spring we’ve learned it’s inconvenient to live without electricity, but access to electricity is not essential to human life. Access to water is.
Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” (John 7:38 NIV)