Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but 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 4:13-14).

I’ve read the story of the woman at the well many times. Each time that I tried to step into the story, the account always reminded me of my mother. Like the Samaritan woman, my mom also had five husbands. Like the Samaritan woman, my mom often felt dismissed, disregarded, excluded, and really, really thirsty.

As a teenager, I remember being angry at my mom when she got married yet again. I thought about how her choices affected me, but I didn’t think as much about what was going on inside of her. I remember asking her why she kept getting remarried and she said that I couldn’t understand what it was like to be so lonely. She thought that a bad marriage was better than being alone.

What I see now, that I didn’t understand then, was that my mom was thirsty. She had a hole in her heart that only Jesus could fill. I wish my mom would have had an experience with Jesus as the Samaritan woman did. Jesus cared about her and knew she was thirsty, not just for water, but for Living Water.  The kind of fulfillment that only comes from a relationship with Jesus.

When Jesus revealed that he was the long-awaited Messiah, the Living Water, that the Samaritan woman had been waiting for, she was changed. In fact, John said that she told so many people about her encounter with Jesus that “many of the Samaritans from that town believed in Him because of the woman’s testimony…” (John 4:39a)

It occurred to me that all of these years when I read this story, I thought of my mom. However, now I realize that this story is about all of us. We are all thirsty and often try to satisfy that thirst through relationships, seeking to be distracted or entertained, staying busy, consuming things to numb our feelings, or seeking other water sources instead of Jesus. The Living Water that Jesus offers us not only speaks of salvation, but forgiveness, wholeness, restoration, and a relationship with God.

Are you thirsty? If so, step into the story of the Samaritan woman with fresh eyes. We are in her position right now being offered this Living Water from Jesus. Accept it and be filled.