Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” John 4: 13-14
By Christa Rupar
For at least part of almost every day, my life, I mean house, feels like a circus. The kids are in the front yard half dressed in the dead of winter, there are dirty dishes on every counter top, laundry in every corner, and the dog is drinking milk from an abandoned sippy cup. I turn my back for 2 seconds and chaos breaks out!
It’s no secret, the role of motherhood will take everything you have and more. The amount of love and care that goes into the role of motherhood is truly overwhelming. All the little tasks we do for our families and our attention that is always needed by someone, leaving very little time to attend to ourselves. It’s a big job, in fact, I fail to see how mothering well can be done at all on our own. I often wonder how mothers who haven’t put their faith in God do it. Being honest, I don’t want to know how.
The role of a mother requires a kind of love and care that can only come from above. It is only when I am allowing God to pour his unconditional love into me that I have the unconditional love and care to pour out on my family. However, I find sometimes that letting God pour his love out on us can be difficult, at least for me. I for one think I have trouble truly understanding the depth of his love for me, or maybe I’m afraid to understand it, or maybe I’m insecure in it, I mean, how could I be so worthy of such deep unwavering love? Whatever maybe the reasoning for my doubt, I do know this, he loves us. Every one of us and every part of us. I also know that accepting his love is foundational to our role as a mother.
I’ve heard it said that, “the hand that rocks the cradle, rules the world” could the imperativeness of motherhood be summed up any better?! You are needed mother, whatever age your children are. However, unimportant the role may seem at times. Remember, you are needed. You are needed more as a mother (and wife) than by any other role that you may play in life. With an important job like this we must be full of love and to be able to pour out this love we must first be filled up from up above. John 4:1-26 tells us the story of the woman at the well, I challenge you to read that passage of scripture this week. While reading remember these things about that woman.
1. She was a Samaritan. Samaritans were a mixed race of intermarriage between Jews and foreigners (mostly Assyrians). They were disliked by pure Jews, who intentionally made as little contact with them as possible. But Jesus makes contact with her despite her race.
2. She was a woman with a bad reputation having numerous failed marriages and living with a man she was not married to. She was visiting the well at noon rather than in the morning with the other woman, most likely to avoid the dirty looks and criticism due to her bad reputation. Regardless Jesus thought her worthy enough to ask her for a drink of water.
3. Not only does he consider her worthy enough to make conversation with. He offers this non-Jewish woman with a bad reputation his living water. He longed to fill her soul not only for that day but for eternity.
He longs to fill your soul too, if you will let him.
Christa Rupar has a Bachelor of Arts in Bible Studies and a Master of Arts in Counseling. She would one day love to use her therapy skills working with kiddos. At the moment she stays home chasing around her two favorite little people Kyah, 3, and Beckham, 1. They get up way too early and go to bed way too late, but she wouldn’t trade it for the world. A strong cup of coffee and an afternoon dance party with the littles is her remedy for mom-induced sleep deprivation. She and her husband, Ryan, have been married for almost 6 years and reside in Springfield, MO.