One of the reasons I wanted to blog through the Bible in 2024 (and beyond) is because I wanted to slow down and pick up on the “smaller things” I usually overlook.
One of those, surprisingly, has been how often wells enter the picture.
In retrospect, I probably should’ve seen this coming. Of course a group of nomadic people that live in the desert would have wells on every street corner. They need water; where else would they get it?
It should also be no surprise that these wells play such an important role in different Biblical events. Isaac meets Rebekah at a well. Jacob built three different wells to avoid causing fights with Abimelech. Fast forward to the New Testament, and Jesus meets a woman at the well to have an amazing conversation about the nature of religion (John 4).
Wells represent life, but they also represent conversation and community. They’re the place of encounters between humans, much like a modern-day coffee shop does today.
Come to think of it, coffee shops also can represent life — if there’s enough caffeine, that is.
With that in mind, what kind of wells are you digging in your life? Are you “digging” the kinds of places that cause strife between others? Or are you digging a place that causes growth? Are you giving of the water freely to others, or are you stingy, covering up the well to make sure you’re the only one that knows about it?
Thinking about wells has caused me to think quite a bit about my own life and the opportunities I’m creating to interact with others. And, just like a physical well, the longer I go between drawing from that well, the thirstier I become.
