If you woke up today, and didn’t even think about having water to brush your teeth – be thankful.
If you brushed your teeth, and didn’t have to worry about getting sick from the water you used – be thankful.
If you did your morning business and didn’t have to think about having water to flush – be thankful.
If you washed your hands today, and didn’t even think about the running faucet – be thankful.
If you had water to make tea or coffee – be thankful.
If you had no discomfort due to thirst and did not worry about having clean water to drink – be thankful.
As a matter of fact, I felt thirsty as I watched dirty water being pumped out of a pool, which was used to water a garden. I felt thirsty for that dirty water!
I am so thankful that God comforted me through that thirst. I love to drink water. One of the comforts I enjoy is sleeping with water next to me, and drinking a sip right when I wake up.
Back home I drink about 1 – 2 gallons per day. It’s just not an issue and I hardly ever drink tap water anymore. Bottled please and mineralized, if you have it.
God really opened my eyes to the abundance I take for granted daily. I don’t think of myself as an ungrateful person, at all – but maybe I haven’t been as mindful of what God has given me. I have been given so many options and luxuries even in the bare necessities.
I’m not at home. I can’t choose from mineral water or bottled water or flavored water.
I have no water to drink.
But I still have a choice.
I can choose to be upset or just be thankful.
I can choose to whine, gripe, complain or I can pray for water to soon be available.
I can choose to sit around and pout or to smile anyway and rejoice in the day God has made.
So today, I choose to be thankful even when I didn’t have water to brush my teeth. I’m thankful for my co-missionary Jillian who offered me a sip of the few ounces she had in her water bottle so I could swish and spit.
I’m thankful for the fact that the water Jillian gave me was safe to put in my mouth and spit out without fear of getting sick.
I’m thankful I had a western style bathroom, even if I couldn’t flush. I’m thankful for the privacy, the closed door, and the accommodation.
I’m thankful for my hand sanitizer because I had no water to wash my hands with.
I’m thankful that our hosts used their last bit of water to fix a limited amount of hot water for coffee and tea. (I didn’t get any, it ran out.)
But I’m thankful for the two occasions I got something to drink.
The first chance, another missionary didn’t want their cold coffee, so I jumped at the opportunity to finish the last three gulps so I had something wet in my mouth to wash down my breakfast.
The second chance, I saw a girl walking past me with dirty dishes, and I saw about 4 ounces of water sloshing in a plastic tumbler…”Wait!!!” I called out desperately. I literally felt my throat closing with dryness.
I hopped up from the grass where I was sitting and chased her…”Is that drinking water???”
I’m so thirsty today – and I’m so thankful.
