My Weird and Wonderful Relationship with Water

When I was a senior in high school, I had a minor revelation. I was on the way home from a church youth group event. The van stopped at a gas station, and everyone went in to get snacks. For teenagers, that usually means getting a soda and some candy, and I was no exception. I grew up in a home where soda was mainly a weekends-at-dinnertime drink, and we had natural alternatives rather than name brands, so this was a chance to have a rare treat.

I bought a bottle of Coke. The decades-long campaign by the Coca-Cola brand to convince consumers that their beverage could thoroughly quench thirst was bouncing around my brain like a ping-pong ball. And yes, I’d had Coke before, but it had been a long time. The Coke bottle that I bought might’ve even had “Quench Your Thirst” printed on the label. One way or another, I expected that this high-sugar, high-sodium, caramel-colored, carbonated liquid that chemists had spent decades perfecting in taste would be a more exciting thirst-quencher than a bottle of water.

That’s marketing for you.

I took a sip. And another. And another. The sweetness was invigorating. The fizz tickled my tongue and sparkled in my throat as I swallowed. But the sweetness quickly faded and made my mouth feel sticky. I realized that not only was my thirst not quenched, but I was actually thirstier. The thing that told me it was going to eliminate my thirst was in fact increasing it while also telling me it was the answer to my dehydration.

That day I decided that I would start drinking water much more and soda much less. I’m pretty sure my twenty phalanges would be enough to count the number of times I’ve had a Coke since that day. I still drink some other sodas, but only as a treat and usually at a social event of some kind. I mostly drink water at sit-down restaurants because it’s free.

I love water. I started drinking it with practically every meal. I was accustomed at that time to drinking milk with chocolate desserts, but I switched to drinking water with dessert, too. When I went to college, this decision helped in part with maintaining my family-instilled healthy eating habits.

They say water is the stuff of life. Without it, most scientists agree, life couldn’t exist. That’s why they get so excited when they find evidence of water on other planets and moons.

Water is one of the simplest, most stable, most consistent, and naturally abundant substances out there, made up in its purest form of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom—nothing more. It is one of the main foundations of life, making up 71 percent of our planet. It’s first mentioned in the Bible in the second verse of Genesis Chapter 1, and again in verse six when God brought the land out of the waters. Throughout history, water has been considered one of the four primary elements, which are thought to be the symbolic basis of all nature.

We need water to survive. No human can go more than four or five days without drinking water or something that has water in it. Our cells need it to be healthy. Our skin needs it, or it’ll dry out, wrinkle, crack, and even bleed. Our blood needs it to flow smoothly. Our joints need it for lubrication. Our muscles need it to recover from strenuous work and rebuild themselves. Our digestive systems need it to help produce nutrients and flush out toxins. Our brains literally start to shut down if they don’t have it. It even helps regulate our body temperatures. And most people don’t drink nearly enough of this life-giving liquid.

I like water partly because, in the ironic words of a commercial for Diet Coke from several years ago, “It’s delicious; it makes me feel good.” I know some people who hate the taste of water, though I’ve never understood that point of view.

But when I’m tired or stressed or feeling bad in some way, taking a big gulp of cool water always hits the spot.

However, there is one main, overarching reason why I love water: it truly quenches my thirst, and having your thirst quenched when you’re feeling out of sorts, or your mouth is dry, or you’ve been working up a sweat is one of the simplest and sweetest feelings in the world. Sometimes I even moan a little when I take a big swig of water because I’m letting myself enjoy the sensation of having my thirst slaked.

Drinking water has become a spiritual experience for me. For good reason, too.

Jesus told the woman at the well that He was the Living Water, the source of eternal fulfillment, wisdom, and satisfaction. That woman, the first missionary of Jesus to a people group (Samaritans) that nobody in that day expected Him to care about, was told that Jesus was the ultimate thirst-quencher—better than any other counterfeit option propped up by the marketing and salesmanship of the world.

Water on earth will keep us alive physically, but the holy water that is God’s salvation and indwelling presence will keep our spirits alive eternally.

A few years ago, I was driving down the road with my water bottle in the cup holder next to me. I picked it up, popped the lid, and took a long sip. And something in me triggered. A thought that was not my own rose into my head, saying, “Remember what water does for you, and remember that I am the Living Water that satisfies your soul.” I prayed in response, “Please, Lord, slake the thirst of my spirit for meaning and fulfillment with your Holy Spirit in the same way that this water is slaking my physical thirst.”

Since that day, at least once a week, I “toast” my Heavenly Father with some form of that prayer when I take a big drink of water, because it serves as a reminder of what my Savior has done and is doing in my life: satisfying my soul in a way that nothing else can. I don’t need spiritual soda—it doesn’t last, and it makes me feel sticky until I drink Water again.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go refill my water bottle.