Samaritan woman

Gift of Kindness 12 Gifts – Day 2

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Jacob’s well was there; so Jesus, wearied as he was from his journey, was sitting beside the well. It was about the sixth hour.  A woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.”…The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) John 4:6-7; 9 ESV

When we think of kindness we often think of giving, but kindness is really about sharing and sometimes sharing begins when we ask for help. Asking for help tells someone else that they have importance and value. Notice in the story today, just how amazed the Samaritan woman was, when Jesus asked her for a drink. “After all,” she reasoned, “I am just a woman, and a Samaritan one at that.! Because in her experience not only were women treated with badly, but Samaritans, in particular, were the object of racial discrimination by the Jews.

But then Jesus began speaking to her and offering a living water that He had for her to drink. Now, both a little startled and confused, she began asking some questions of her own. To her surprise, she found that, unlike other men she had known, He was patient and willing to listen.  At that moment, it was not His mighty works or miracles that unlocked her heart, but His kindness.  What greater gift we could give another than the kindness of Jesus, that says to them, “I have time for you, and you matter to me!” So on this second day of 12 gifts, why not ask, “To who can I give a gift of kindness today?” We won’t need to go searching high and low. Just leave the searching to God. He has a funny way of bringing us just the right someone if we’ll just sit down by a well and rest!

Resting By the Well

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When we think of the story of the woman at the well most of us picture a bucolic scene by some quiet spot among the lovely hills of Samaria. But more likely the scene at the well was busy with people coming and going because water is something that everyone needs. Often the case is made that the well was deserted at noontime and the woman was alone but it could have been a scene more like the pool of Bethesda with people crowding around on every side. Yet in that busy place Jesus chose to rest and wait for a single woman to come.

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Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied from His journey, sat thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour. A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.” John 4:6-7

 

In our own life our day may seem cluttered and overcrowded. There may appear to be no place to rest. Jesus reminds us that our outward circumstances need have nothing to do with our ability to pause, rest and wait. It is not only possible but desperately necessary for us to rest at a well at what may seem to be the most inopportune times. While we push forward in our activities with another cup of coffee or another shot of our favorite energy drink, Jesus is calling us to come to rest both physically and spiritually. You will need to rest and to wait by the well because someone is passing by who needs a drink of water that only He can give but only you are holding the cup.