She stands there alone. By choice. In mid-day heat. No critical, cruel comments or fake smiles to taunt her.
A lonely woman bearing the blame from people who don’t know her side of the story.
They were too busy labeling, defining and shaming her to ask.
Convinced they’re right, she believes she’s broken. Not realizing her breakthrough is just moments away.
She starts to draw water from the well. He sits silently watching her.
Why is He there? What does He want? Her past has made her suspicious and untrusting in her present.
Is He there to judge her too? No. He’s there to fill the void, an emotional canyon carved by years of hurt.
He sees a wounded woman who believe she’s damaged goods with a past she’ll never be free from.
He knows her past. The five relationships that depleted her soul and decimated her self worth.
Her future hinges on this moment. That day she is His main priority. After that day He became her’s.
She think’s He’s there to draw water. He comes with living water.
They talk. She knows He knows. About her past and current living conditions. She braces herself for the criticism. It never comes.
He’s not there to berate her. But to reveal Himself to her and fill the void, permanently. He will our’s too.
He quietly watches us try to fill the internal emptiness with distractions, relationships, food, shopping, possessions and busyness.
He sees us outsource our emotional wellbeing to others. And the disappointment it always brings.
He notices how we let others define us. He wants to redefine us.
How long they talked, we don’t know. Long enough for the disciples to go buy lunch and return.
It wasn’t the time length that transformed her. It was time with Him.
How many times have I put time with the Lord at the bottom of my priority list until I needed Him then wanted to be His first priority?
That quiet moment sparked an extraordinary transformation.
Many Bible scholars believe she later became an evangelist pouring into others who too felt empty, exhausted and parched.
The highest form of self care you can practice is caring for your spiritual formation and emotional health.
Transformation begins at the well. Drinking the Living Water. Quiet moments matter most. They always will.
Sandra Hubbard
(See John 4 for full story)
Sandra Hubbard 
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