42 - Thirsty

Jesus invited everyone who is thirsty to come to Him and drink, but who is thirsty—thirsty for God, that is? You might think the answer is everyone, but that’s not so. Everyone should be, but only some are. Spiritual thirst is the longing for more of God, not God’s power, not His gifts, not His blessings, not a miracle, Him. Wanting God and wanting His help aren’t the same thing. Both acknowledge that He exists. But one comes to Him to get something, and the other wants to be close to Him; one uses Him, and the other loves Him. And I don’t know what causes the difference, but it seems that it has to do with how much a person still loves this world. To some it’s an exciting place full of wonderful pleasures and opportunities. Their goal is to discover how to get more of it, and they resent anyone or anything that gets in their way. But to others the pleasures of this world have become increasingly disappointing; most of their human relationships have ended up shallow or worse, and the days and years of their lives seem to fly by. This kind of disappointment creates in them a great loneliness, and when that happens a dangerous path beckons them.