eight glasses a day

O God, you are my God, I seek you, my soul thirsts for you;
my flesh faints for you,
as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary,
beholding your power and glory.  Psalm 63:1-2

I went to see the doctor this week for my semi-annual checkup.  Everything seems to be functioning fairly well though, like an older car, I need to pay more attention to regular  maintenance.  One of the things I was encouraged to do was to drink more water, partly because of my age, but also because of one of those maintenance issues.  

That's okay.  It seems like a minor adjustment to make.  Drink a full glass of water with each meal, keep a full container of water with me, and drink from it on a regular basis.  And of course, since it is July and heading into that season called 'hot,' I would be doing it more often anyway.  When it gets cooler and winter, I will need to be more diligent.

The psalmist reminds me that while I may be more aware, and pushed to greater awareness by my doctor, of physical thirst, I may need to pay a little bit more attention to my spiritual thirst.  To that dryness in my throat, to the desert of loneliness which might be developing in my soul, to that barrenness that seems to be creeping into some of my attitudes.  

It might not be as simple as heading over to the sink and turning on the faucet.  I am advised by the spiritual physician who wrote this prescription to spend more time with God in the sanctuary.  I take this to mean more personal time in prayer and reflection (not just putting together a worship service).  I see the sanctuary not so much as a physical location, but finding a place to rest in God's heart.  Perhaps not so much my talking, but sitting in silence as I listen for that still small voice.

Perhaps I need to pay more attention to God's power, not so much might and great force, but in the gentle breeze stirring the leaves out of the corner of my eye, so I look up from my device and notice creation.  Not so much the awesome spectacle of the lightning and thunder of a storm moving through, but noticing the flowers drinking deeply, the trees dancing in the wind, the birds beginning to sing, 'all clear.'

I need to be more diligent about recognizing God's glory.  Not so much in a stunning sunrise or sunset, but in the wrinkled faces of older folks whose wisdom is etched in every line.  Not so much in the rather arrogant boasts of the powerful and wealthy, but in the stories of those who have survived brokenness and helped others become whole.  Not so much in Not so much running after the pied pipers of temptation, but in willing to become humble enough to walk with the forgotten.

I may not take care of this sort of thirst as easily as drinking 8 glasses of water a day, but maybe by sipping slowly and gratefully from grace, hope, justice, peace, and love, I might not feel as much fatigue in my soul or such a drought in my heart.

(c) 2023 Thom M. Shuman