The Scent of Water
Whenever a thunderstorm travels through, it’s like all five of our senses come alive. We can feel the ground shake as the thunder rolls or when the wind blows, we can see the lightning mark up the sky. We can even smell the rain as it drops from the clouds above.
Thunderstorms are so powerful and incredible to watch, especially if we're in the comfort of our own home.
You can always smell the scent of rain when the weather is shifting. A cool breeze blows, dark clouds move in and the scent of rain confirms that a storm is approaching.
This spring has truly lived up to the adage that: “April showers bring May flowers” -- with an extra dose of showers in May. Simply put: we’ve had a TON of rain where I live. It’s been wild to hear the stories of those who live within a two-hour radius of us. There has been so much flooding that has happened due to the rapid rainfall and thunderstorms.
Although rain has a scent, have you ever wondered how to describe what water tastes like without using the word water? Someone asked me that question at the beginning of the year and I am still thinking about it.
Here’s my definition so far: REFRESHING, NO FLAVOR, 0 Calories
(This sounds like the ingredients of a bottle of water, I know.)
I am thankful for rain and what it brings: NEW LIFE. It nourishes what’s been planted and replenishes creation. These things always appear so vibrant after getting a big dose of water!
There are times in our lives where challenges, adversity, conflict and loss can bring a drought-like season into our lives; where we feel hopeless, burned out, overwhelmed, and maybe, just completely WORN OUT. There are things that get shifted in these moments, causing us to make a decision on how to get through it.
I like to call these moments, opportunities. Opportunities to grow, learn, and overcome. This doesn’t mean that opportunities are easy, but the mindset is focused on seeing our situation as something to use for our good and asking God to reveal His purpose and plan.
We can get caught in the feeling that the CHALLENGE or CONFLICT is greater than CHRIST living in us. BUT, the truth statement is CHRIST in me is greater than any CHALLENGE OR CONFLICT that comes my way.
Jesus is the one who REPLENISHES, RENEWS, and RESTORES all things. He is our LIVING WATER. He brings dead things back to life.
I love what Job 14:7-9 says:
“At least there is hope for a tree: If it is cut down, it will sprout again, and its new shoots will not fail. Its roots may grow old in the ground and its stump die in the soil, yet at the scent of water it will bud and put forth shoots like a plant.
This verse gives us HOPE that when we establish ourselves in the Lord and are deeply rooted in Him, LIFE will come forth out of the places that seemed hopeless.
“at the SCENT of water it will bud and put forth shoots like a plant.”
If we ever find ourselves in a hopeless season, a dry desert, or a burned out time in our lives from experiences we’ve been through, we can remind ourselves that when we are in close proximity to the LIVING WATER: Jesus Christ. We will catch the SCENT that will bring forth new life and a hope that is renewed.
Just like a bud that will come into bloom, so it is in our lives when we fix our eyes on Jesus and allow His living water to wash over and through us.
If there is breath in your lungs, Jesus is not through with you yet!
Catch the scent of water today and watch as the Lord does something NEW. Let Him pour into you. Drink deeply, my sister.
Bethany Marshall
