To the deer and other wildlife that visit the river north of our home, the current shallow water is a welcome respite for a much needed drink or cooling down from summer’s hot sunshine. Along with the larger creatures of nature, a variety of insects can be seen as they fly in and out between the river beds, landing on grasses that are extending along the edges or from the murky water below. The banks of the river are lush with many plants and trees, many providing interesting shapes of shade dancing on the surface of the water. Yet, as refreshing as the river may appear, a closer look reveals waters that are brown, filled with silt, trapped by grass that looks like a woven web of greenery.

This was the river today as I stood on the bridge, leaning against the guardrail, drinking the cool clear water from my bottle that I carry with me when out for a run or a bike ride. Today’s run was 2.55 miles, so a brief rest at the bridge was a welcome stop amidst the beauty of a mid morning trek outside under sunny skies and a slight breeze. As I was enjoying my water, continuing to enjoy the music playing through the speaker of my phone, admiring the and absorbing the quiet of the river, imagine my delight when I noticed a lone deer standing knee deep at the water’s edge. He or she was a beautiful golden brown. Its ears were alert and deep brown eyes met mine and we began our impromptu time together. We both stood still for but a few moments and it wasn’t until I reached for my phone to snap a photo, that this lovely creature broke our stare and darted into the nearby woods.  Even though I was disappointed at missing a great photo, I was grateful for the encounter and thanked God for allowing me to see some of His creation this morning.

As I tucked my water bottle away, waited for a couple of cars to pass by me, I could not help but allow my mind to return to the thoughts about the murky brown water. To that deer it was refreshing, a much needed drink. To me, it was unpleasant to consider even sampling  its coolness or thirst quenching benefits. And, though the river is shallow right now and the muddy bed exposed, one can only ponder what lies below the mucky riverbed.

My brief “visit” at the familiar river up the road from me caused me to think about Jesus referring to Himself as Living Water. John 4:14 says “..but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.” My mind contrasted that even though the brown water of our little river is relief to nature’s creatures and not to me as a human, it still has great purpose. The Living Water that Jesus spoke about was pure, clear, vibrant–absolute perfection–enticing to animals, beneficial to man. Yet, there are those who refuse or have lived reluctantly to drink of the water that is offered by Christ. To do so indicates a heart transformation and relationship has been established. For those abiding in Christ, He has become a place of rest, an oasis that refreshes over and over again. To those living contrary to Him, His Living Water is seen as murky, unbelievable, with waves of denial and refusing to surrender to an abundance of cool thirst quenching water that far exceeds physical benefits on a hot summer’s day.

Yes, my little river up the road paints many life lessons for me. I’m grateful for my brief visit with a beautiful deer, my eye catching a dragon fly as it flew across the surface of the water, the tangle of grasses poking their blades of green above the brown water. The river has its purpose. The Living Water of Jesus has its purpose. Both give me great delight on a hot summer’s day.