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Water, Tea, and a Spot of Time


Life seems full of coincidences.  We run into people just after we think about them.  We hear a song in our heads and shortly thereafter hear it on the radio.
Sooner or later; though, what seems at first to be coincidence actually proves to have more purpose.  

Here’s an example… 
I recently read the story in John 4 where Jesus was tired on a journey.  Being near Jacob’s well, he stopped for a while to refresh himself with a drink of water.  What came as a result of this water stop was a conversation with a Samaritan woman at that well.

Coincidence? Perhaps, but what came as a result of the conversation was life.  The words exchanged there were nothing less than an example of hospitality, love, care, and a model for us to follow.

Just a few days after reading this passage, I was blessed by an encounter with a student while I was on my way to fill my water bottle.  This student didn’t have the life matters of the woman at the well, but life was indeed weighing her down heavily.  She too was walking to a well (the same drinking fountain where I wanted to fill my water bottle).  When I asked her how she was doing, her eyes filled with tears.  Drinking fountain water suddenly didn’t seem good enough at that point, so I asked her if she wanted to have some tea.  My classroom is outfitted with a hot water cooker (Please don’t tell my secret.)and an abundant stock of tea, so I invited her to sit in on my class for a minute and let the teabag do its work in the hot water.  

My class was fortunately in the middle of a group project, which afforded me a few minutes to chat with this student.  It was a time of life-giving words.  She was able to unload her struggles, which, though not excessively large in the grand scheme of things, were certainly very heavy to her.  A mere 5 or so minutes, a spot of time really, gave her the space to regain herself and find new perspective…and in that spot of time, I learned a new meaning for a story that I had read a few days earlier.  What a gift a person can find in the middle of a trip to the water fountain, some tea and a spot of time!

Coincidence?  Hmmm.


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