Dried out

“Are you drinking enough?”

Oddly enough, the question came from my eye doctor. I had been discussing with her the stinging I’d been experiencing in my eyes, especially when I worked all day on the computer. I thought perhaps I needed computer glasses. She informed me my problem wasn’t my vision, but my lack of fluid!

Busyness and cold weather combined had led me to drink less and less. I reasoned I could drink later–right now I needed to work.  Many times I was too cold to bear the thought of a cold glass of water. How wrong I was! It was in the midst of the busyness and cold weather that I needed to drink the most. How else were my eyes to cope with the extra hours of computer work and the winter dry heat?

My trip to the eye doctors set me thinking about dryness in other areas. Could my heart, like my eyes, easily grow dry? When things got busy, was I still really spending quality time with my Lord, or had my time with Him, though still there out of principle, grown dry? Was I asking God to “lubricate” my heart throughout the day by pondering His Word and lifting my heart to Him in prayer?

I must confess, there have been days where my heart, like my eyes, has been dry.  I’ve felt torn in a thousand different directions and let my brain run away with all the things I needed to do. During those days, I was more irritable and just plain dried out–unable to do any of the tasks before me appropriately. I desperately needed to stop and let God “lubricate” my heart. In the midst of the busyness, I needed to force myself to stop and refocus by reading a passage of His Word, praying, or singing a hymn. I needed to stop and surrender, recognizing that He was the One truly in charge of each detail of my life. Otherwise, I’d end up dried out–flustered, frustrated, and burdened with burdens I needed to let God carry instead of me.

Next time you find yourself feeling spun in a thousand directions, stop and go before your heavenly Father. Surrender the tasks to Him and focus your heart on who He is and what He has done for you on the cross. Take the time to keep your heart lubricated.

“And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:13 (KJV)

– christian perspective