Planted Near Water

We all know that there are times when life can feel, as Jeremiah writes, empty and wasted. There are moments when we think we resemble a barren bush, thirsting in the desert sun.

That’s why it is imperative for us to know the location of our water source. I promise you, it’s closer than you think. God never planted a seed in barren ground.

For me, it’s the Mass. Going to Mass is where I find total peace and renewal. I don’t have any great theological explanation for this — Mass is simply where I can truly rest in God for a time, where nothing and no one in the world can touch me. And wouldn’t you know it, it’s in the toughest times that I need Mass the most — that my roots stretch harder for that water.

Woe to the rich, says Jesus — woe to the popular, to the content, to the happy. It’s not because He hates to see us smile. It’s because He knows our humanity. He knows our limitations. He knows that when things are going really well, we often stop looking for God.

What replenishes you as a disciple, as a steward, as a Christian? If it feels far away or hard to reach, why is that? How can you bring it closer?

We are all trees planted near water, to yield our fruit in due season. Let’s pray for the strength to know where our water source is, and to seek it both in good times and in bad.

— Tracy Earl Welliver, MTS