Recently our pastor told us to “dig a well” because wells, in Biblical times, attracted cattle. A fence was therefore not needed. I immediately liked the analogy and want to take it further.
I see water as pure, cleansing. In fact, water is often a symbol for rebirth, i..e., baptism, in the Bible. The Holy Spirit is often associated with water. Water is found all over nature, from streams and creeks that may be little more than a trickle, to snow and rain that fall from the heavens, to huge bodies of salty water. It can be used for recreation in a pool or lake; as refreshment in the form of ice; entertainment and exercise in a multitude of sports and hobbies; and even torture and death. What a multifaceted compound we have here. It can save a life or take a life.
So, on to the idea of digging a well, I checked out www.wikihow.com/dig-a-well and found a 9 step process to well-digging, which can be correlated to our Christian walk. Check this out.
Step 1: Prepare the Well Screen. What’s a Well Screen? I didn’t know either. It allows water to enter the pipe while keeping out mud and debris. Let’s think of this from the Christian point of view. What keeps healthy things flowing in and through us, while keeping out the grime? My first thought is Bible reading. It seems in my life, that when I’m well-entrenched in daily reading and weekly meetings, that the gunk of life doesn’t stick to me as well. But, even being away from my Bible or church gathering for a week or two, tends to leave me open to a poor attitude, accepting things that I know aren’t right, and may eventually lead down a path of destruction. Isn’t that how bad habits start, with just one or two missed steps. So what is your Well Screen? Your Well Screen may be people. You might have a spouse or parent or friend who allow good things to enter, but keep out the bad. I think, in the lives of our children, parents often are the Well Screens, especially when our children are young.
Step 2: Glue the Foot Valves. Again, what? Although I do like the verb glue here. It implies permanence. The foot valve allows water to be drawn in but does not allow water to escape back out. From the Christian perspective, I have too often allowed good to come in, only to let it escape out. In the other direction, we are told to “take hold of our thoughts.” When we take hold of a questionable thought it allows us to keep the good and not pass along the bad. In another sense, this would be the part inside us that keeps us from gossiping. We take in information, which is fine, but we can’t let it back out, which may or may not be gossip. Better to err on the side of discretion.
Steps 3, 4, and 5: Bore the well. Bail the well. Set up a tripod over the bore. This is the work! This type of well does not build itself. Boring, bailing, and setting up stuff sound like work. Well, reading your Bible, spending time in prayer, memorizing your verses, learning how to deal with different people, understanding Old Testament and New Testament cultures and how they relate to Biblical teaching all require work. Get to it.
Steps 6, 7, and 8: Install the Well Screen, the outer foot valve pipe, and the inner foot valve pipe. This is the application part. You have everything set up. You know the Word. You are ready to share the truth of the gospel with others. You look forward to fellowshipping with other believers. Now is the time to let the rubber meet the road. Get ready and get busy.
Step 9: Install the handle. This means you’re done! You have a great foundation laid. You have learned, and will keep learning. You probably know your Spiritual gifts and key verses. You understand the fruit of the Spirit. You have your support system. You are a functioning, working, refreshing well. Installing the handle means, in our example, letting people know you are there. A well that only comes to the ground and bubbles up will water animals, and they will find it. But better yet when you build the walls and the well can be seen from a long distance. What can you do, today, to put on your handle?
Keeping a Bible on your desk, in your car, and in your hand is a good way of letting people know you follow Christ. It may be enough to draw people to you. At my places of employment it was always pretty well known that I was a pretty conservative Christian woman. Every now and then someone would approach and request a conversation. I can’t think of a time when the conversation wasn’t about Christ. One time, when a student asked to talk to me after class, another student heard about it and asked to stay as well. I was able to share with two students, who came to me!
Another way of putting on your handle is to sprinkle Christian thoughts and words into your conversations. I often insert comments such as, “Praise the Lord” and “the Lord is so kind” as I tell my stories or answer questions. Find words that roll easily off your tongue and people will pick up on your message, that you’re proud to be a Christian.
Of course, if you’re as old as I am, you will remember the CB craze of the 1970’s. For a short while CB radios were not just for truck drivers. It seemed to me that everyone had one, including my family. In that world, your handle was your name, and people would use creative and clever names to identify themselves. Nobody could just be Joe or Sue. I think the best handle we can have is Christian, as in Christ follower. When you put on your handle, and live a life worthy of Christ, people will see you and know there is something different about you.
A few other points about a good well – a well has to be drilled, or bored, into the earth to obtain the water. Think about our Christian walk. Jesus said it would be rocky, and He is right! I know I feel like I’ve been drilled, but that’s what has allowed me to find the source within. A well continues to flow and give refreshment. It is continually fed, under the ground, just as you can continue to be fed through your prayer, devotions, Bible reading, and fellowship. You won’t go dry. Let others seek you out and want to be with you, because you will be effusing Christ’s love. The well inside you will draw people to you, and to Christ.
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