Have you ever been thirsty? No, I am not talking about sitting in the recliner and realizing that your glass of Diet Pepsi is empty and you need a refill. I am talking about being real thirsty.

I recall one Sunday afternoon about forty years ago. We lived in a little northern California town called Scotia. It was a mill town. To be able to live in one of the one hundred or more houses, you had to work for the lumber mill. My Dad was a town carpenter.

Our house was located right by the railroad tracks. There was our house, our back yard, the fence and then two sets of train tracks. Across the tracks was what we called the dump. It was a place where they brought burnable items and dumped them and burned them. That was on a bluff. Below that was the river.

The railroad tracks followed the river past the town, under a bridge and along some high bluffs that were known for the fossils that could be found there. They were a popular area for people to explore and we liked to hike down there whenever we could.

This Sunday afternoon we invited a friend, Mike, to come over and we went on a “hike.” Actually, we just walked out our back gate and along the tracks to the bluffs.

We were so excited! Enjoying the freedom as only three boys under twelve can do. We had our lunches. It was a nice day, actually a little warm for Humboldt County. We were on our own. We were going exploring! Who could ask for anything more?

It was probably close to a mile, maybe a mile and a half, to the trestle that crossed a little creek coming down through the mountain, a cut in the bluffs. That was our destination. By the time we arrived we were ready to eat our lunches.

Now Mom, being the wonderful mother that she is, packed us a great lunch. With anticipation we opened the sacks that hid the bountiful feast. We pulled out the delectable sandwiches that were packaged with such tender loving care. We carefully opened the sandwiches and sank our pearly whites into the unmatched blessing of delicious peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Lots of peanut butter! Lots of jelly!

Now there is nothing like it. If you are eleven years old and outside enjoying life, you just can’t find anything better than a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. In fact if you are fifty-one it is hard to beat, too.

Now there is one thing. About three bites into a peanut butter sandwich you are going to need a nice cold drink of milk. If there isn’t any milk available, then kool-aid will do. Did someone say Diet Pepsi or Diet Dr. Pepper? Really water would be better than what we had that day. We had totally forgotten to bring something to drink.

Now the sandwiches didn’t taste nearly as good. They kind of stuck in our throats. By the time we finished those and the potato chips we were really ready for a drink. We wanted water and we didn’t have any.

We decide it is time to head home. We are thirsty! So we head back. Our goal now is not a good time. Our goal is to get a drink. To get that drink just as soon as we possibly could.

We are walking along the Eel River. It is twenty feet below us on our right. A sparkling river coming down through the mountains headed for the ocean about fifteen miles away. However, you don’t want to drink out of the Eel River. It has a lot of moss and algae in it. There is a treatment plant just on the other side of our house. No, it is better to be thirsty.

Now we are tired, sweaty and thirsty. One of us remembers the drinking fountain at the gas station in town. We can go up by the bridge and get on the highway. We can walk into town and stop at the gas station to get a drink of water. It will be closer than our house. What a great idea!

The water in Scotia came from a spring up on a mountain behind the town. My dad helped build the redwood holding tank where they kept the water. It was cool, clear and delicious. People from the neighboring towns would actually come to Scotia to get drinking water for their homes. On our way home from school everyday we would stop at the one gas station in town and get a drink from the fountain. The water was always cool and refreshing.

Now we are feeling better. Our pace picks up. Our steps quicken as we begin to think of the cool refreshing water we were about to enjoy. In fact as we rounded the corner by Cannon’s Market we ran the last hundred yards to the station. We were thirsty and wanted to be first to get a drink.

Now can you imagine how we felt as we slid up to that water fountain? Reached out and grabbed the handle. One of us bent our head down over the spout. Slightly opened our mouth in anticipation of that cool clear refreshing sweet water that was about to squirt into it. Can you imagine how we felt when we found that the water fountain was broken and there wasn’t water to quench our thirst?

It was now further home than if we had followed the tracks instead of coming by the station. We were now really thirsty!

I am so happy to tell you that we lived! Each of us survived and are now middle aged men living successful lives. I also must say the other two, David and Mike, probably don’t remember that day. It is just faded away with time because it wasn’t a long lasting thirst, it was soon quenched.

I remember that day because of a scripture that I read this morning. When I came across it I tried to remember if I had ever really been thirsty. The writer said that He was thirsty for God just like the deer is thirsty for the water of a sparkling brook.

I imagine that the writer was trying to tell God that he never wanted to get to the place where he didn’t desire to be close to God. That deer comes back to the water hole day after day. In fact you will find a little narrow trail that will lead you right to the spot where he loves to drink.

How wonderful it is to return day after day. Maybe even at morning, night or noon and be refreshed with the goodness of knowing and fellowshipping with God. We can lay aside, for a few moments, all our problems and all of our frustrations. Leaning over to Him and allowing His blessings to refresh our weary soul.

God Bless!