40 Days of Lint, Day Seventeen: River of Life

A few years ago I toured Italy for nine days with my husband. Sadly, I almost didn’t go because I was horribly sick with a respiratory infection. My daughters had come down with it first, and days before my departure, I succumbed. My parents nervously left me at the airport, tanked with antibiotics and cough medicine. Drugged out of my head, I don’t know how I made it from one connection to the next.

But I arrived safely, and my husband met me with excitement and a sack of Swiss truffles. He was ready to see the sights together. I revived somewhat for our evening in Venice, and after a good night’s sleep I began to feel somewhat human - then I brushed my teeth. Without even thinking I followed brushing by gulping down a full glass of tap water. Thirty minutes later I alternated between groaning on the bed and running to the bathroom. For the rest of the trip, no matter what I did, I was plagued by nausea, fatigue, and a wheezing cough. If only I’d steered clear of the water!

There’s one foreign country where we won’t have to worry about that:

“Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations” (Revelation 22:1-2).

Smack dab in the middle of heaven is the River of Life - clear, invigorating, and healing. When we get there, we’ll have so much to explore, so many things to do. I can imagine walking along the banks of this river, munching on the fruit-of-the-month. I like the sound of a warm climate and year round harvest, with fruit so satisfying we can’t even imagine. Even the leaves are healthful! There will be no more bugs, disease, or unsafe drinking water.

Even though we haven’t “crossed the pond” yet, we can get a taste of that River now. Jesus told the woman who came to the well, “whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life” (John 4:14). Our living water is Jesus.

There’s no other source that will satisfy our thirst like He does. How do we ‘drink’ Jesus? The best source is the Bible; we can fill up daily and drink freely. Jesus also satisfies our thirst through His people when we encourage each other’s faith. Finally, we can drink from the spring within our own heart as we listen to the Holy Spirit and walk in Him. The power of this water is enough to make our journey to heaven enjoyable and overflow to quench the thirst of other thirsty souls.

Lint Removed: Drinking from the Wrong Source

Cleaning Process: Drink from the River of Life