Margaret Bradley, a native of Boston, a University of Chicago medical student and a veteran marathon runner, died from heat exhaustion and dehydration during a July 2004 27-mile day run in the rugged terrain of the Grand Canyon in Arizona. Although Miss Bradley was a seasoned runner, the sweltering Arizona heat literally drained her system of the needed moisture to survive. Dehydration can be fatal! The more I research and learn about the health of the human body, the more amazed I am at how common dehydration really is. In fact, some even go so far as to say that 75% of Americans live each day chronically dehydrated.
While I am concerned about my physical hydration, there is a more serious dehydration than that of the physical body. Spiritual dehydration not only causes us many problems on this earth but in eternity as well. Many centuries ago, at Jacob’s well, on the outskirts of Sychar, Jesus encountered a Samaritan woman who had come to fill her water jar. However, her hydration problems were much more serious than what she realized. As Jesus looked deep within her soul, He saw her dry, dehydrated spiritual life and offered her “living water” (John 4:10 NKJV). There are numerous parallels between physical thirst and spiritual dehydration.
Firstly, like physical dehydration, spiritual dehydration can be forgotten. Personally, I must remind myself regularly to hydrate my body. In fact, if I do not set a reminder, some days I will drink very little water, and before I realize it, my body is in serious need of hydration. The same is true spiritually. Life gets busy. Schedules get full, and before we even realize it, our spirit is dry and beginning to wither. Work, sickness, fear and even negligence keep some in the spiritual desert of dehydration. Jesus clearly reminded the woman at Jacob’s well that drinking of anything else, but His water, leaves us dehydrated (John 4:10-14).
Interestingly, as we drink more water physically, we become thirstier, and it is easier to hydrate. However, the opposite is true as well; when the body becomes dehydrated, our thirst trigger wains. What a parallel spiritually! Some souls have become so dehydrated that they no longer have the spiritual thirst and desire to drink. “…Jesus stood and cried, saying, ‘If any man thirst, let him come to Me and drink’” (John 7:37). “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled” (Matthew 5:6). Are you thirsty for Jesus?
Secondly, like physical dehydration, spiritual dehydration can be faked. I am guilty under this point for sure! Some days I fulfill my thirst with coffee and iced tea and have no room for water. However, coffee and tea (especially caffeinated versions) are diuretics, which drain the body of moisture, while adding very little hydration back. In my mind, I appease my thirst by drinking these drinks but am honestly adding nothing to my hydration – actually detracting from it. The same is so true spiritually! Some fake their spiritual hydration by worshipping God sporadically, occasionally reading the Bible, sometimes saying a prayer, and all the while, they become more and more dehydrated spiritually! Why? Because we appease ourselves by giving God a small piece of our life. Yet, this lifestyle will never really hydrate a soul spiritually! The only way to really hydrate spiritually is to prioritize the spiritual over the physical (Matthew 6:33; 22:37-40; Hebrews 3:13; 10:23-25). A sip here and there of Jesus leaves one seriously dehydrated!
Thirdly, like physical dehydration, spiritual dehydration can be fatal. Sadly, Margaret Bradley learned this fact a bit too late! A physical body can pass the point of being able to be rehydrated. Organs begin to shut down, and death becomes inevitable. Sadly, by just drinking a little more, Bradley could have finished that race. The spiritual application is even more serious! A soul can reach the point where it can no longer be rehydrated (Hebrews 6:4-6; 1 John 5:16-17). What then? Spiritual death is inevitable! Jesus pleads for all to come to Him and drink of life eternal. Heartbreakingly, some are content to trudge through this barren wasteland spiritually dehydrated and to ultimately lose their souls to dehydration!
Lastly and most excitingly, like physical hydration, spiritual dehydration can be fixed! By simply being a bit more mindful of our hydration physically, we can flood our bodies daily with pure water that refreshes us and keeps us healthy. Thank God that this is true spiritually as well! We do not have to navigate the desert of life dehydrated! Jesus can fill our souls and give us the hydrating fluid of His Word to strengthen and to sustain us until we reach the “river of water of life” (Revelation 22:1).
Physically, there are ways we can tell if we are dehydrated. If a person is dizzy, lightheaded, has a dry mouth and lips or urinating less and less, dehydration may be the problem. Spiritually, there are ways we can test our hydration as well. Do you feel less than zealous for the Lord and His work? Do you view worship, Bible Study and service as a drudgery? Do you infrequently pray and study the Word of God? Are you critical and condescending toward the church? You may be suffering from spiritual dehydration! Rehydrate yourself in Jesus, and see your entire spiritual life be refreshed. Do not take the warning signs lightly because there may come a point in your spiritual journey where rehydration is impossible. Drink deeply at the well of Jesus today. Your soul will thank you!